tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471744821990988272024-02-21T11:00:18.411+01:00Across the Mediterranean in a Miniegshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-24223898369965256892011-07-29T13:00:00.000+02:002011-07-29T13:00:17.612+02:00The End, for now<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Thank you all very much for following this journey. Guizmo is now in storage and my journey, for this summer, is over. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section and I'll try to respond. Wishing you all fair winds and following seas.<br />
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</div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-84389860400497456632011-07-28T14:01:00.002+02:002011-07-28T14:01:00.727+02:00Genoa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was a dark and stormy night. It really was. So much so that this ancient city looked like a dreamscape. It was so out of this world, such a mix of modern and ancient, so steampunk in fact, that it reminded me of The City of Lost Children. There was grandeur coupled with decay everywhere. Keep in mind that Genoa probably reached its peak of opulence in the 1600s. So just the "decline" phase of this city, that is, not counting its nascent phase or the phase where it ran its own mini-empire as a city-state, is approximately 2.5 times as long as all of "American History." That alone should garner some respect. (As an aside, American intellectuals have been throwing around the word Empire in the last decade. There should be some unspoken rule about not using the word "Empire" unless you've had that empire for 500 years. Any idiotic nation can expand over a few dozen years. The real test is to have the kind of unifying cultural narrative, and the money flow, to keep that empire going for a few hundred years).<br />
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Here are pics from around the Old Port area in Genoa. If this city does not look like the set of the City of Lost Children, I don't know what does.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYBEZAv2HR63hzXTkGzJSKYG1UqUYXlg575LjlQRmgJOk9SNINR-3DxsrckdFwIwrL3eWER6rkHRfitQCVgUmXW3WqGp5wWWxyvV6sXb6JoD7rzLbdCEEO2mDC5o4iZ31adq4MmHAgQ/s1600/IMG_7216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYBEZAv2HR63hzXTkGzJSKYG1UqUYXlg575LjlQRmgJOk9SNINR-3DxsrckdFwIwrL3eWER6rkHRfitQCVgUmXW3WqGp5wWWxyvV6sXb6JoD7rzLbdCEEO2mDC5o4iZ31adq4MmHAgQ/s640/IMG_7216.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCPbIjs_Lf58wDP3db0TdYzAgRvy7UyARGRct_RGfqQIFggNod8P-lJ2kkFVXRrWDe7yTF1RiLxbkBvFwXHxK_TcxrTPxvbx5kMubKABXK2ar2STq6eLSLf1icOnqkML9PEf7rqy-gg/s1600/IMG_7231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCPbIjs_Lf58wDP3db0TdYzAgRvy7UyARGRct_RGfqQIFggNod8P-lJ2kkFVXRrWDe7yTF1RiLxbkBvFwXHxK_TcxrTPxvbx5kMubKABXK2ar2STq6eLSLf1icOnqkML9PEf7rqy-gg/s640/IMG_7231.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This boat was used in a movie about the pirate Blackbeard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-sDAVJaTBMuKfx3TZTPD7xOcDJoUjQX8EFWAIuSk1CzsJDB7TGeld5H0wABi6wnom4JjIRPKUsACf5bYz6tKWkhLfYGU0_w-BRAjmlpKea_9zHI46oD3bSI5cWER_aHmHuEzmRQuUSA/s1600/IMG_7237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-sDAVJaTBMuKfx3TZTPD7xOcDJoUjQX8EFWAIuSk1CzsJDB7TGeld5H0wABi6wnom4JjIRPKUsACf5bYz6tKWkhLfYGU0_w-BRAjmlpKea_9zHI46oD3bSI5cWER_aHmHuEzmRQuUSA/s640/IMG_7237.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a crescent and star on the flag. Not sure why Blackbeard would have used a crescent.<br />
They're really paying homage to the actual pirates that the Genoese fought</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKqI_SKtRrpFnFGFsZ9wB0g1X8GP0fCyZnEW6HhMEGP-OVDHdAki-wCnqO8xRAwMOuc1JjX30O8jK1uvnFfEPPN9seaNTJoy51CHjXWR4tu5oMj-wN0C23mFEWVwODKAKUqWDS_5mmA/s1600/IMG_7245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKqI_SKtRrpFnFGFsZ9wB0g1X8GP0fCyZnEW6HhMEGP-OVDHdAki-wCnqO8xRAwMOuc1JjX30O8jK1uvnFfEPPN9seaNTJoy51CHjXWR4tu5oMj-wN0C23mFEWVwODKAKUqWDS_5mmA/s640/IMG_7245.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If this isn't steampunk, I don't know what is.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLPPpNFI3TcH72Gqy87_yqN_zgl0pxiyywEJiMpmf-fFegj9k9Gg4ryhVEsmhJ4xjVOxaR-0b0T8lR3tq5hE9ewKoLgSDVuvLgGAM379yql1Qe-77DzWNQb67hR7RdXJzOpqwHezkgw/s1600/IMG_7248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLPPpNFI3TcH72Gqy87_yqN_zgl0pxiyywEJiMpmf-fFegj9k9Gg4ryhVEsmhJ4xjVOxaR-0b0T8lR3tq5hE9ewKoLgSDVuvLgGAM379yql1Qe-77DzWNQb67hR7RdXJzOpqwHezkgw/s640/IMG_7248.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a reconstructed Roman ship in the big bubble, but it is inexplicably not lit at night</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRE-66NZ9G08Nhg6zTwAdfz-DeDASAhanCWX2gTLu5JPBZ9HeXzvWWRpQpymKg4_2iwIMP1qHUFe9pyFH5ZhAHWWCk5_0FEqRVMScezfHHeyJsOnLJ0vDz1wVQeSMQNHao-2mvjZgoNw/s1600/IMG_7252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRE-66NZ9G08Nhg6zTwAdfz-DeDASAhanCWX2gTLu5JPBZ9HeXzvWWRpQpymKg4_2iwIMP1qHUFe9pyFH5ZhAHWWCk5_0FEqRVMScezfHHeyJsOnLJ0vDz1wVQeSMQNHao-2mvjZgoNw/s640/IMG_7252.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modern art, ancient walls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hfI9pza-jfIvWkl-QNKuXpiLxmlBOhb1xE1VEA4ft8PGQWj09UaQ1mzl7Ypc89NwNwIu79jcmKapcjOqk75VwqifNHDrjXruSGKlbkxJqQM64L28uy2V79HDSjtfHEnLYCFZgz6DYA/s1600/IMG_7256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hfI9pza-jfIvWkl-QNKuXpiLxmlBOhb1xE1VEA4ft8PGQWj09UaQ1mzl7Ypc89NwNwIu79jcmKapcjOqk75VwqifNHDrjXruSGKlbkxJqQM64L28uy2V79HDSjtfHEnLYCFZgz6DYA/s640/IMG_7256.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a real crane. Not a prop.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4teUrHr0_DvKtY_mCkzEKxmMPkSWaFKPDPQ13foALaJTtTp86-7mS4AiEPQdqik7JwsGsCoIEcIDbIzkXpMpxVSjVLsba9aUsvoS4hWLCIhcA1F6_oTzffrKyFEYUlx21t7GlcmX6dQ/s1600/IMG_7258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4teUrHr0_DvKtY_mCkzEKxmMPkSWaFKPDPQ13foALaJTtTp86-7mS4AiEPQdqik7JwsGsCoIEcIDbIzkXpMpxVSjVLsba9aUsvoS4hWLCIhcA1F6_oTzffrKyFEYUlx21t7GlcmX6dQ/s640/IMG_7258.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These windmill-like things spin and rotate in the wind</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnvUDNR72KVHavZroW176kzDMRckTJIjJAzdEen29gqwoqeGYYXMWUDPwmIhQ-ySn99_8xkoIWkQ3kA1j4A8aRFtaZu16wxaU2SowKhKQ4l-vG7yZ_rG2SQK-_GXY1h9Bpl13TrMwfg/s1600/IMG_7270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnvUDNR72KVHavZroW176kzDMRckTJIjJAzdEen29gqwoqeGYYXMWUDPwmIhQ-ySn99_8xkoIWkQ3kA1j4A8aRFtaZu16wxaU2SowKhKQ4l-vG7yZ_rG2SQK-_GXY1h9Bpl13TrMwfg/s640/IMG_7270.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a street corner</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyS4QcMX56VILlzKb63vHyA2dzTS9hL6Sz-Yf6PR8mwEjuZE0QQ1M0u-PJKJVr3ImxZ7WWXZn8AafVgjlvd4dOyRv9XnCcF1rUPsT2nvxamO8WCoIt66KWpDnDmi4o0M2uFNeMEJJmPg/s1600/IMG_7284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyS4QcMX56VILlzKb63vHyA2dzTS9hL6Sz-Yf6PR8mwEjuZE0QQ1M0u-PJKJVr3ImxZ7WWXZn8AafVgjlvd4dOyRv9XnCcF1rUPsT2nvxamO8WCoIt66KWpDnDmi4o0M2uFNeMEJJmPg/s640/IMG_7284.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a row of awesome buildings</td></tr>
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In all this hoopla about the Doria family, I forgot to mention this other fellow from Genoa, who was turned down by the Genoese for being a crazy flake, who later discovered a continent. It turns out the Genoese were partly right: the guy had no idea what he was talking about and thought he hit India when in fact, he had only traveled half the distance there. But it's still kind of a big deal to discover a continent, so now they're trying to patch things up with him, I guess, so they put up his statue in a pretty central location.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcTZ8531c1wmj8RDtB3RDGdiPq9BZn0NNegEn26-BHO9AvZ6kzwG3Udc8cK_tXfZ1WM2r3ttDhPL1RPK_6hAgkDiaK8WnuIGroEZBdKlJW0qbPVsyL9E4dco13lJazsOlVt6F722QYw/s1600/IMG_7290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcTZ8531c1wmj8RDtB3RDGdiPq9BZn0NNegEn26-BHO9AvZ6kzwG3Udc8cK_tXfZ1WM2r3ttDhPL1RPK_6hAgkDiaK8WnuIGroEZBdKlJW0qbPVsyL9E4dco13lJazsOlVt6F722QYw/s400/IMG_7290.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What do you do when you kick your son out of your house,<br />
and he comes back years later, having discovered a new continent?<br />
You build a giant statue and pretend you loved him all along.</td></tr>
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The next morning, when the weather was nice, I visited Andrea Doria's mansion in Genoa. It was too early for the place to be opened to the public, so all I've got is this picture of his garden.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdrOVU-o4FkBotLCNBM0wPhYx6BU1roRMVnzKaFmAzzxf89vavbQlrR4aL2nmnleEWCsnVf4rwd5NNjvg0g1JX77vgKj5uv9Mib9WDYxVbiYsHjhR02XgofIFCvtQGghm_kjUi555Jw/s1600/IMG_7298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdrOVU-o4FkBotLCNBM0wPhYx6BU1roRMVnzKaFmAzzxf89vavbQlrR4aL2nmnleEWCsnVf4rwd5NNjvg0g1JX77vgKj5uv9Mib9WDYxVbiYsHjhR02XgofIFCvtQGghm_kjUi555Jw/s640/IMG_7298.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice garden</td></tr>
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Maybe if he did less gardening and more seafaring, Andrea Doria would lose fewer naval battles? I don't know. I do know that medieval naval battles are tricky business, with no clear winner. Two sides meet, shoot the hell out of each other, board each others' boats, free some galley slaves (i.e. typically, their own people who were taken prisoner in previous raids), take some people hostage to use as galley slaves themselves, and go their separate ways at night fall. Then they tell everyone back home that they won and receive a hero's welcome. Andrea Doria certainly did a lot of this, even though it's clear that he actually lost conclusively on two different occasions.</div>
egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-23875307277525170172011-07-27T02:30:00.000+02:002011-07-27T02:30:00.891+02:00Hauling Out<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It was really sad to pack up Guizmo for the summer. </div>
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egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-64934086841430447252011-07-27T02:05:00.000+02:002011-07-31T22:32:45.412+02:00Mini Sisters, Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Came across minis #126 and #146 in Genoa. Saw them on the train ride, and could only take this picture.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0btB6qtbw5UY46mDRMoUXIfqNqvtuepM4T2_22_PKF3eFx6TM1QMSZpiJ83GAWhvnRYjRoOpfdcJzYSeISXo5dA7QOCcup8YACiEbQIAtwz6fUa2Yb2bhcfuosWM5K06HA_pLCUlIw/s1600/IMG_7201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0btB6qtbw5UY46mDRMoUXIfqNqvtuepM4T2_22_PKF3eFx6TM1QMSZpiJ83GAWhvnRYjRoOpfdcJzYSeISXo5dA7QOCcup8YACiEbQIAtwz6fUa2Yb2bhcfuosWM5K06HA_pLCUlIw/s400/IMG_7201.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-47199495155529993292011-07-27T00:56:00.002+02:002011-07-27T00:56:00.256+02:00Getting Close to the End<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I reached Loano, and the trip needs to come to an end.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>This is partly because of some <a href="http://medcrossing.blogspot.com/2011/07/good-development.html">good news</a> back at work that requires my undivided attention for some time, and partly because the boat developed a chainplate problem that needs to be fixed.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7RSUxcXA5MINo8vQbvnL2hnAqfKsgAZ-lAlnmDphdMihH-YHuo4XjL2ju3F4jaA2_i2gpqaJo1mY6n7za1qYy9gZMJYLkVT-hPlCPyknwOOXKn3dg3fnyi76PReRekaFPo-45r5lqw/s1600/IMG_6672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7RSUxcXA5MINo8vQbvnL2hnAqfKsgAZ-lAlnmDphdMihH-YHuo4XjL2ju3F4jaA2_i2gpqaJo1mY6n7za1qYy9gZMJYLkVT-hPlCPyknwOOXKn3dg3fnyi76PReRekaFPo-45r5lqw/s320/IMG_6672.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chainplate. Not a terrible problem, but needs a fix.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>At the time I purchased the boat, there was some fiberglass repair on one side. I asked the previous owner if the damage that he repaired was structural, and he said it was not. It turns out that he was right: the repair was a superficial coverup for a problem that ran deeper. As a result, the right side shroud (the three wires on the right side that hold the mast up and keep it under compression so it will not buckle) has developed a crack by pulling up on the chainplate. If unchecked, it could cause the rig to collapse. This is why, for the last few days, I had been avoiding using too much sail, relying on the backstay to take the pressure off the shrouds, and generally being cautious. I couldn't put it here in the blog for fear of my mother developing a coronary, but now that I made it across three countries safely, it's time to get it fixed.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I'll haul out the boat in Loano, take the train to Genoa, and fly out. I'll probably resume the voyage next year, with a fixed up chainplate.</div><div><br />
</div></div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-77445006916572898002011-07-26T14:14:00.002+02:002011-07-26T15:02:58.095+02:00Loano<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I felt like a conqueror going into Loano. For one, I had just done a pretty long passage spanning three countries and covering a substantial chunk of the globe. But more importantly, Loano turns out to be the backyard of the Doria family.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBN1s_ljSVcQ1-r_MaCa3tzkSA7d-5izUVDXwzP_1kKPJBZSBIsCrc1dvezhxc_WXkWQikatUzTB89PGKL7J7vyjhOkT2c8hUcstM70rf-hTs0hmZHUOrAicQKSZs7N4DsPOEIxPLd6A/s1600/andrea+doria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBN1s_ljSVcQ1-r_MaCa3tzkSA7d-5izUVDXwzP_1kKPJBZSBIsCrc1dvezhxc_WXkWQikatUzTB89PGKL7J7vyjhOkT2c8hUcstM70rf-hTs0hmZHUOrAicQKSZs7N4DsPOEIxPLd6A/s320/andrea+doria.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of Andrea Doria.<br />
How pompous an admiral do you have to be<br />
to pose as Neptune, with a trident in hand?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Why is the Doria family so important? Well, it turns out that the biggest threat my favorite people, the Pirates of the Barbary Coast, faced was from a fellow named Andrea Doria. He's regarded as one of the best admirals and statesmen of all time. This is a fellow who, at different times, served France, Spain and allied forces of the Pope, all with distinction. We can look over the fact that in the two major battles that mattered, where he tried to put an end to the westward expansion of the Ottoman Empire, he was squarely defeated, once by Barbaros Hayreddin, and later, by Barbaros Hayreddin's protégé Dragut. So he's kind of like a weaker version of Darth Vader, who lost badly to Obi Wan Kenobe and then again to Luke, without being able to kill Obi Wan in between. But it is nevertheless a remarkable accomplishment to have served as the kind of roadbump the way he did. Sure, he lost, badly, but he was a brilliant strategist and clearly a very effective commander; he was just unlucky enough to have faced people way better than himself. He was lucky enough to survive these battles, and managed to become one of the main people behind the rise of Genoa as a city-state as well as a political and cultural center.<br />
<br />
The Doria family has some other notable folks in it. Most importantly, Andrea Giovanni Doria (AGD), AD's nephew, inherited all of his uncle's estate and ships, and played a huge role in Lepanto, when the Pope's alliance put an end to the westward expansion of the Ottoman Navy. AGD's specific role in that battle is still up for some discussion, as apparently, he was told to hold the south end of the line, and when the fighting got rough, he took all of his ships and headed even further south and away from the battle. The rest of the admirals later admonished him for being a coward and running away from the main fight. And it was quite an uneven fight: apparently, the Ottoman fleet was so underprepared that they ran out of gunpowder and started flinging oranges at the enemy. And the guy calling AGD a coward is none other than a member of the Gonzaga family -- I've been to the Gonzaga summer palace, and based on the orgiastic frescoes and various monuments to favorite horses, I can conclusively state that that family consist of a bunch of uneducated perverts. It's not just me saying this now, but also people who lived at the same time and with the same cultural standards as the Gonzagas. Who should we believe in the infighting between the animalistic Gonzaga from the south and rich educated nephew from the north?AGD, in his defense, claimed that some of the Ottoman boats were trying to encircle the alliance's line, and that he had to head south to cut off a pincer attack. In the end, I suspect there is a bit of truth to the claims from both sides, as the southern wing of the Ottoman fleet did try to encircle the alliance, and as well, AGD was generally an ineffective and cowardly commander in other battles. But the bottom line is that the Doria family had a huge role in history. Without them, it's not clear that Italy would look like a boot today -- perhaps a shorter work shoe at best. There would certainly be no Genoa.<br />
<br />
Loano is the Doria family's backyard. Though Andrea Doria's main mansion is in Genoa, the family had a summer palace in Loano, along with a church across the street.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcxna0k85ZL9ktCzinLtk-qfuHPGTIlm_n2JuZIdlFHhFS6eOlYJMERQ-hqgCs7_R-877_F6uJ6ARd5xiomz5E5mviLRbX210Df8oFr6Wjc-k2_imofrR58FjZdU-cMczx4qHH8oc_Q/s1600/IMG_7074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcxna0k85ZL9ktCzinLtk-qfuHPGTIlm_n2JuZIdlFHhFS6eOlYJMERQ-hqgCs7_R-877_F6uJ6ARd5xiomz5E5mviLRbX210Df8oFr6Wjc-k2_imofrR58FjZdU-cMczx4qHH8oc_Q/s640/IMG_7074.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The locals have added LED lights to the main piazza<br />
How is this a historically accurate restoration?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4ntewFA6jKXpC1diFo91KkGbJ6YDvbqzduf-g5ylEGLyqJqdZlxXheFR6qDbEGTfe8gnqkb1107KBLWXbJij6OYu1FBDCsdQvTiCfw_kPRs77u1kMZBo91eTltMZzE0I1j3A413FAg/s1600/IMG_7077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4ntewFA6jKXpC1diFo91KkGbJ6YDvbqzduf-g5ylEGLyqJqdZlxXheFR6qDbEGTfe8gnqkb1107KBLWXbJij6OYu1FBDCsdQvTiCfw_kPRs77u1kMZBo91eTltMZzE0I1j3A413FAg/s640/IMG_7077.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doria summer palace</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Wqeew3ckDcrWLJsvUcmasBNOBtoBJIYTbyhRnr8KPGiRRZG-iL8GUsqCiPpJXupXc0-RRJGBrptl7fznos1InsIp3kEfkuYjmBfl8umRbiYpjJun48dPDAgMGpeXJ2agS9HIwe-aDg/s1600/IMG_7078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Wqeew3ckDcrWLJsvUcmasBNOBtoBJIYTbyhRnr8KPGiRRZG-iL8GUsqCiPpJXupXc0-RRJGBrptl7fznos1InsIp3kEfkuYjmBfl8umRbiYpjJun48dPDAgMGpeXJ2agS9HIwe-aDg/s640/IMG_7078.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church across the street. Andrea Doria must have prayed here often enough to have had his life spared <br />
in the various naval battles he lost</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For a small chapel, the place looks pretty fancy, done up in a classical style, back when gold trim was very much in style. I imagine that both AD and AGD prayed really hard in here, to have faced the enemy they faced and to have come out alive.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGv-sAzk35vfYvwfgfea29iHSjep5Ot5FRq8SbB8SQRDxD8eUAyFocMA0ko9x7kQA0poCKoZ0BbIteOK3HoxbfC2hyphenhyphenOGXqp33uOkgHtBGbf-nmTqH0YXenT-6DLzCA9ce5fXqvfdHvQ/s1600/IMG_7084-IMG_7092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGv-sAzk35vfYvwfgfea29iHSjep5Ot5FRq8SbB8SQRDxD8eUAyFocMA0ko9x7kQA0poCKoZ0BbIteOK3HoxbfC2hyphenhyphenOGXqp33uOkgHtBGbf-nmTqH0YXenT-6DLzCA9ce5fXqvfdHvQ/s640/IMG_7084-IMG_7092.jpg" width="622" /></a></div><br />
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</div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-43405187488881422802011-07-25T14:10:00.000+02:002011-07-26T02:04:40.871+02:00Mini Sisters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Came across not just one, but four different minitransats in Loano.<br />
<br />
#600 is the prettiest of them all. The cabin has windows! I didn't think it was even possible to fit a window someplace, but clearly it's totally doable. And it would be a welcome addition to Guizmo. I might get this done.<br />
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The cabin top is also higher in #600, so much so that I would be able to stand up properly inside #600. In Guizmo, my head hits the ceiling and I need to hunch over slightly, which gets tiring after a while.<br />
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This boat lacks a canting keel, so the inside looks very roomy, but the downside is that (a) it has no canting keel, and (b) the boom is much higher than it needs to be. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-B1vfm-BRq9t9pI57lKEZXgGp1FCBsuj2MfvuApkQcZJPxMhI6CZmjIFG0LkZWAqCJPuu-Ho0AlGkK4T_iq7t-pLk4xkiJgfvKBMYv1dkOK0sHFIinylfzckdVAfJo2Rj_YbL4HbTg/s1600/IMG_6980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-B1vfm-BRq9t9pI57lKEZXgGp1FCBsuj2MfvuApkQcZJPxMhI6CZmjIFG0LkZWAqCJPuu-Ho0AlGkK4T_iq7t-pLk4xkiJgfvKBMYv1dkOK0sHFIinylfzckdVAfJo2Rj_YbL4HbTg/s640/IMG_6980.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoYoIBOwSpl3XM1DSNBmH7-MeW1_ML_jOkkRXXPyS91e4C94HaG3jtLLo6xV34y5oMVhTLi18d0qiDmvbzIHnmVG4K3C1XHVUZUydIe1xF3HaA38mDc5AAV4e5qSJFuKubHys8KPvjg/s1600/IMG_6994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoYoIBOwSpl3XM1DSNBmH7-MeW1_ML_jOkkRXXPyS91e4C94HaG3jtLLo6xV34y5oMVhTLi18d0qiDmvbzIHnmVG4K3C1XHVUZUydIe1xF3HaA38mDc5AAV4e5qSJFuKubHys8KPvjg/s640/IMG_6994.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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# 408 looks like it's a nice Pogo. This is a boat produced in "series," that is, they come out of a mold and are industrially produced in batches.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqxJKCEXOdd52yR9GvAIY0b_XTQyH1O7C3o8TXXIhShdq4VBR7-t5O8xoRHL4PtbWUizjglt7n1-X-kvIYvXN-ZIL3qEQOUYqy24Gkdc6kK6y27npA8agJB4VTBF4Lc7guEztc0wIOw/s1600/IMG_6995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqxJKCEXOdd52yR9GvAIY0b_XTQyH1O7C3o8TXXIhShdq4VBR7-t5O8xoRHL4PtbWUizjglt7n1-X-kvIYvXN-ZIL3qEQOUYqy24Gkdc6kK6y27npA8agJB4VTBF4Lc7guEztc0wIOw/s640/IMG_6995.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKR_5kKVNThqD-P0YFmu6PYM4F115SlQRf-A9EHrYAtL75S079Xcr4E0_x3gyBqxYUgc84DxDyaxpo3fSw-wOLHCg1vlz6LbXGw-9izzjuKVq52b-2uZjC__bXeo8t1ZqSHBqjgZGkgg/s1600/IMG_7000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKR_5kKVNThqD-P0YFmu6PYM4F115SlQRf-A9EHrYAtL75S079Xcr4E0_x3gyBqxYUgc84DxDyaxpo3fSw-wOLHCg1vlz6LbXGw-9izzjuKVq52b-2uZjC__bXeo8t1ZqSHBqjgZGkgg/s640/IMG_7000.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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#538 also looked nice. Note high cabin top and hatch, which are nice features, but also note lack of canards and canting keel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VteOfMMvj0Hs2ryOXqt7yzdrsi-mVonppHLJ3FLDWJQvb2qVCqWS9Kjkyv-VxC9M6C3BXFrIn8sIpv7CGQCMPzPvI4bNif1jOOo4yhufW5_faAVLCF4vFDKQiJVvx7fFkFaSMS3AeQ/s1600/IMG_7011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VteOfMMvj0Hs2ryOXqt7yzdrsi-mVonppHLJ3FLDWJQvb2qVCqWS9Kjkyv-VxC9M6C3BXFrIn8sIpv7CGQCMPzPvI4bNif1jOOo4yhufW5_faAVLCF4vFDKQiJVvx7fFkFaSMS3AeQ/s640/IMG_7011.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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All these boats have a rotating spinnaker pole that's about 2m or so. Guizmo's spinnaker pole is a whopping 3.20 meters. I'll have to check the regulations to figure out why there is a difference; for now, I just get to boast about its length.<br />
<br /></div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com017025 Loano Savona, Italy44.1288405 8.259989700000005544.098591500000005 8.2175582000000063 44.1590895 8.3024212000000048tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-36150059816748393212011-07-25T14:00:00.003+02:002011-07-31T16:51:12.713+02:00Living in a Mini<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Some people have asked what it's like to live in a minitransat, and I realized that I don't have that many pictures of the inside. So here's one, taken from the area in the bow sleeping area, looking towards the cockpit hatch.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpe_EQuNR9hgaEb6Ca9flvZMmc9kihJbDPzB-o936-7WK-zzZVAI8i9L_QLOKSFpSAFFoF9E6x9wBM32XWK2c17c08rNAJzKq6eK4hyHfdsT1mkx9molPDHjQfCrNVHJWk91Hvcwmpg/s1600/IMG_6831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpe_EQuNR9hgaEb6Ca9flvZMmc9kihJbDPzB-o936-7WK-zzZVAI8i9L_QLOKSFpSAFFoF9E6x9wBM32XWK2c17c08rNAJzKq6eK4hyHfdsT1mkx9molPDHjQfCrNVHJWk91Hvcwmpg/s640/IMG_6831.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the mini</td></tr>
</tbody></table>You can see the bulkhead just past my cozy sleeping bag, then there is the mast and the canards, followed by the the canting keel assembly and the <a href="http://medcrossing.blogspot.com/2011/07/port-porquerolles.html">famous keelbox</a> with its 6:1 purchase pulley system. On larger boats, the canting is done by a hydraulic system; on my mini, it's done by attaching one of those yellow lines to a winch and cranking on it. The keelbox is open to the ocean, and despite my worries, not a single drop of water has come into the cabin through the keelbox.<br />
<br />
I have various drybags for storing electronic equipment & clothing, and airtight containers for keeping food. The drybags have never been necessary, but they provide some peace of mind just in case the boat gets knocked down. The airtight containers are just to appease my bug-phobia. And I have an excellent Jetboil stove which can make a nice cup of tea within 4 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQp_4ZztAnMy8TUldyMVGB33xHJP1mT8lyhT-J0HrDOs5zgvgHRPDooKC31Cjl599PLC53cwgQm2CXllot57DxlmeKk2FD6m9IPdP2qv08UUg0hlhW2NLrQ8gj-dC3ASUlhMvhDzjKQ/s1600/IMG_7058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQp_4ZztAnMy8TUldyMVGB33xHJP1mT8lyhT-J0HrDOs5zgvgHRPDooKC31Cjl599PLC53cwgQm2CXllot57DxlmeKk2FD6m9IPdP2qv08UUg0hlhW2NLrQ8gj-dC3ASUlhMvhDzjKQ/s640/IMG_7058.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On shore with a dry-bag full of electronics</td></tr>
</tbody></table>But I've spent more than 50% of the nights in bed & breakfasts throughout Europe. Even though cruising on a mini is kind of like backpacking through Europe (though with much higher adrenaline and excitement on windy days), I'm too old to rough it out inside the boat and there are some really nice bed & breakfasts along the way. </div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-11581880487516777902011-07-24T12:44:00.023+02:002011-07-31T21:28:50.787+02:00French and Italian meteo, I'm onto you<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">This blog entry started out about weather prediction but turned into a rant on economics, partly because the media is going crazy about the EU debt crisis again and partly because it's hard to pass through multiple countries without subconsciously comparing them, but here goes...<br />
<br />
So, I saw the following in France over three consecutive days:<br />
<br />
Day 1 French forecast: sunny, calm, Force 2<br />
Day 2 French forecast: sunny, calm, Force 3<br />
Day 1 actual weather: Force 6 wind, rain, thunderstorm<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Day 2 French forecast: Force 6 wind, rain, thunderstorm, small craft advisory</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Day 3 French forecast: sunny, calm, Force 3</div><div>Day 2 actual weather: sunny, no wind, but with big waves</div><br />
Day 3 French forecast: sunny, no wind, but with big waves<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Day 4 French forecast: sunny, calm, Force 3</div><div>Day 3 actual weather: sunny, with Force 3 winds, no waves</div><div><br />
</div><div>It's easy to tell how the weather prediction system works in France: they simply forecast yesterday's weather for tomorrow, and forecast the seasonal average for all days thereafter. This system must work really well when the weather is not changing drastically every day, and it usually isn't. But when there is a storm passing through, this is the absolute worst forecast strategy.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Perhaps this situation was an anomaly. Perhaps Météo-France does not consist of 3700 idle bureaucrats suckling at the teat of the great French Republic. Perhaps their computers were down, or perhaps they were all on vacation because it was the Bastille Day weekend when I was paying attention to their forecasts.</div><div><br />
</div><div>But the situation was much the same in Italy. They said it would be sunny and nice, and we had Force 7-8 winds with Force 9 gusts. Then they predicted Force 7-8 winds with gusts up to Force 9, and we had calm weather.<br />
<br />
Weather prediction in the Med is not really rocket science. Especially in the summer, weather patterns move from the northwest down towards the southeast. You can just pick up the phone to your buddy who lives a few hundred miles northwest of you, say "alo <a href="http://french.about.com/od/culture/a/frenchnames.htm">Jean-Michel</a>/<a href="http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/penpals/stats.php3?Pays=SUI">Pierre</a>/whatever," ask him how the weather is up there, and forecast that weather for tomorrow. If you're too lazy to make that phone call and forecast your own weather for tomorrow, you're doing it wrong!<br />
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</div><div>To their credit, the Greek <a href="http://forecast.uoa.gr/forecastnew.php">forecast</a> is often spot-on. It's time to replace the French and Italian meteo offices with an HTTP redirect to the Greek website. That simple 302-redirect message would save about $1B/year immediately, not even counting savings from the pension plans and retirement packages to come later. There, I just did my part to help fix the great big European debt crisis.<br />
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As an aside, there is a lot of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/20/opinion/20friedman.html?_r=1">stereotyping</a> and criticism of Greeks in the press these days. It's as if the whole world is on the side of the rentiers who loaned money to the Greek government, criticizing Greeks for being lazy, for instituting plans that allow government workers to retire at age 37, for having a large beaurocracy, and so forth. For all these people who are being so critical, I have one observation and one question.<br />
<br />
Observation: I traveled through Spain, France and Italy on this trip. I saw absolutely nothing, either culturally or structurally, that would distinguish these countries' work ethics from each other. Frankly, all of Southern Europe seems stagnant, full of beaurocratic barriers and generally non-competitive to me, and, based on previous trips, I think this observation easily covers Northern Europe as well. Young people do not attempt to invent new things; they seem to want to migrate to finance centers to become cogs in the money-shuffling engines, or get slow jobs in the public sector or, if they are tech savvy, become mid-level managers in a tech company where they stop being creative. And everything works at a snail's pace. Try exporting anything out of France, and call me back when you've prepared the necessary paperwork. Or let me know if/when you've fully satisfied the requirements for a "translated document with apostille" required by the EU states (I have a diploma in Latin, and finding a certified Latin translator has been a bit difficult, to say the least). Commodity items whose prices I checked on this trip (e.g. things whose identical duplicates can be purchased elsewhere in the world, from outboard engines and cameras down to wires and electrical connectors) cost roughly 30-100% more in the EU compared to the US, and I can only attribute this to friction within the system. To make it concrete, it costs as much to extract an outboard engine from customs and sell it in Europe as it did to manufacture it from raw metals (WTO ensures that the price differences are not due to tariffs; and the profit margins seem similar in the EU because they seem to lead similar lifestyles as their American counterparts). That's insane. And I had the benefit of having been to India in the middle of this trip. The energy I saw there is just nowhere to be found anywhere else in Old Europe.<br />
<br />
So the question: It's not as if the folks who loaned money to Portugal, Italy, Greece or Spain went through an anonymizing "microloan" service which masked the name of the loan recipient. They knew perfectly well to whom they loaned their money. They knowingly undertook the risk of not getting paid back. They actively chose to ignore other developing markets, with demographics that are young, eager and willing to work hard, and place their bets on Old Europe instead (yes, I'm looking at Turkey in particular, and every other country on the EU fringe, along with the manufacturing giants in the far east). So why is everyone, and I mean just about every talking head on TV and every idiot who has been granted real estate in newspapers, criticizing the sad-European-country-du-jour (Greece at the moment, but Iceland, Ireland and Spain have all been there recently) for being lazy/not saving enough/not investing well and demanding prompt payback along with severe austerity measures, damn the consequences? Since these noisemakers cannot be receiving kickbacks from the bond holders who actually loaned the cash, I can only assume that they're like the poor underclass in the US who votes Republican out of a desire to identify with the rich and powerful.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, I've seen nothing that makes any EU country 'better' than any other. France has a tiny handful of sectors that bring in money; the rest of the country seems to be running a successful wealth redistribution scheme. England is buoyed by the finance sector, and I cannot name a British invention that came after the radar. One could go on and on, so I won't, except to note that economic growth seems to be a function of demographics first and foremost, and it's a pity to see people ignore groups of highly productive people who needed capitalization in favor of people whose only accomplishment was to vote for their neighbors' bad songs in the European song competition, and then get upset at them.<br />
<br />
</div></div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-41291264988928542642011-07-23T12:03:00.018+02:002011-07-23T12:03:00.644+02:00Albenga<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Took a side-trip to Albenga, a town built on the ruins of an old encampment where a Roman legion was stationed. The river has filled in the sea with sediment, so the encampment, which must have been on the coast back in the second century, is a bit inland now. It took a $1.80 train ride to get there.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCClro15VUBxm-M-tgnP685dQnQDXOMQPoeOJsTUisazyPzJUJgntF2L6EYytmbLkQxciL4uiT6uh4D-wnGkunnggbsL94bhOql1guw23UmQZZ14uCfUkbj74nnKjJDrTC7-TIhjScA/s1600/IMG_6777-IMG_6778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCClro15VUBxm-M-tgnP685dQnQDXOMQPoeOJsTUisazyPzJUJgntF2L6EYytmbLkQxciL4uiT6uh4D-wnGkunnggbsL94bhOql1guw23UmQZZ14uCfUkbj74nnKjJDrTC7-TIhjScA/s640/IMG_6777-IMG_6778.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piazza and tower</td></tr>
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The town is laid out on a very regular grid. The Romans apparently loved 90 degree angles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMLmjjFO6UehT81Me7suI0CwMr-vkTfTiLzNIygi9zKRVft3Pq0QwzWy7CNabBDgmydxguK5qts8s82lFhVzE_DfGGRlSlm7jFomCm8ccv7wq9BRASRcDVTgWUgjEKqCdKsW-KxlASQ/s1600/IMG_6766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMLmjjFO6UehT81Me7suI0CwMr-vkTfTiLzNIygi9zKRVft3Pq0QwzWy7CNabBDgmydxguK5qts8s82lFhVzE_DfGGRlSlm7jFomCm8ccv7wq9BRASRcDVTgWUgjEKqCdKsW-KxlASQ/s640/IMG_6766.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piazza in the afternoon sun.<br />
I imagine this is where the legions lined up millenia ago</td></tr>
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It's hard to walk around this town and not imagine the ancient legion running around, with their cool helmets and regalia, 2000 years ago. Was the weather the same? (I looked around online, and it's hard to tell but it seems to not have changed much on the average) Did the place look the same with the vegetation? (Quite likely, though it may have been more forested back then) Did they eat the same food? (What did the Italians eat prior to the introduction of the tomato and pasta?). Did they have the same kinds of worries? Also, was that particular legion ever decimated -- a Roman punishment levied against an underperforming legion where everyone lines up on the square and every 10th legionnaire is killed -- and if so, did it happen in that town square?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY52VqeR7mg_PXhpApSxfrBVqtOgniA13_fMlhSzL2sVt6z0had2gC9s16NZKiONFRQQe9MiaHUqNjWilBdT3Xp0rFdUvEGoAHgZQa3lPESfHGdQ2nMmJzN_ketxzTLhf0r8-PwDBqSw/s1600/IMG_6774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY52VqeR7mg_PXhpApSxfrBVqtOgniA13_fMlhSzL2sVt6z0had2gC9s16NZKiONFRQQe9MiaHUqNjWilBdT3Xp0rFdUvEGoAHgZQa3lPESfHGdQ2nMmJzN_ketxzTLhf0r8-PwDBqSw/s640/IMG_6774.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passageways</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctk9aDq9g_L41WpVRnMOAdF4868PphTmKBNaIWyjvFUMgXub-8d9J_dC8gNZFZQjHNhD2tHO8bgsai8onDkfhROTQpZs7oe7eo9RxsuIrbQU6TulBY3ffxphDAqlbTQObkLLI-dB-8g/s1600/IMG_6780.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctk9aDq9g_L41WpVRnMOAdF4868PphTmKBNaIWyjvFUMgXub-8d9J_dC8gNZFZQjHNhD2tHO8bgsai8onDkfhROTQpZs7oe7eo9RxsuIrbQU6TulBY3ffxphDAqlbTQObkLLI-dB-8g/s640/IMG_6780.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4BCmY4VvpaX8VajfTeASNVJHqhi66VLXk2vZxF9uBvfLa7ZurNdAZPJgy0wtrWsBp-Tg7mVq15S9-f_6Ui9QUdqQTm93y-CQLFynmlrkHFyOOT1yjsQ1Y0YKEVQAYzpuH3qP04Wr4w/s1600/IMG_6784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4BCmY4VvpaX8VajfTeASNVJHqhi66VLXk2vZxF9uBvfLa7ZurNdAZPJgy0wtrWsBp-Tg7mVq15S9-f_6Ui9QUdqQTm93y-CQLFynmlrkHFyOOT1yjsQ1Y0YKEVQAYzpuH3qP04Wr4w/s640/IMG_6784.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think the doorway mentions the year 145</td></tr>
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There is an undersea museum which showcases the remains of a Roman merchant vessel that have been dug up from where it sank, a mile offshore and in 42m of water. Certainly worth the 3 euro admission fee.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QsBc-FncPturMLCIYQGFSBQad6XEfAN-8ChFzu_yt3tauuo8J-GDittpW_TNgy2BwIhtN6qysP0Atk8f4dLzuD6ET7YJvjHVHZpaUZwrxlrFC6YaBX0l-lDN-RKeG7Gp9PzAk0eeLA/s1600/IMG_6785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QsBc-FncPturMLCIYQGFSBQad6XEfAN-8ChFzu_yt3tauuo8J-GDittpW_TNgy2BwIhtN6qysP0Atk8f4dLzuD6ET7YJvjHVHZpaUZwrxlrFC6YaBX0l-lDN-RKeG7Gp9PzAk0eeLA/s640/IMG_6785.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Countless people must have spent hours in this bathyscaphe<br />
while excavating the ship underwater</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoBAJwTGRz91KcSa28yjJw0XmtHdIyeUd_GHgo6Yv7yCRj9f8-bkqnMhkTE2CeP7dQC1rb3tmrFkfKEnwVdV8y_uv7973lQBvGQ55dOEWwf9magkoKj-96O6rvOrYvVC25SRI1qQkaA/s1600/IMG_6788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoBAJwTGRz91KcSa28yjJw0XmtHdIyeUd_GHgo6Yv7yCRj9f8-bkqnMhkTE2CeP7dQC1rb3tmrFkfKEnwVdV8y_uv7973lQBvGQ55dOEWwf9magkoKj-96O6rvOrYvVC25SRI1qQkaA/s640/IMG_6788.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotZsau1id9IA0iE97MxXZJQAOn1JZTpaQg-1u5NmdCfYVyeInOVbh2IJLCWxtcCee6qYACxj9c_cXB4VNZw2glYVv14DQ2cxT-rtOhM8VKdd2_q3JoZIOJVlM96jAGfMO4xdQaZp9BA/s1600/IMG_6791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotZsau1id9IA0iE97MxXZJQAOn1JZTpaQg-1u5NmdCfYVyeInOVbh2IJLCWxtcCee6qYACxj9c_cXB4VNZw2glYVv14DQ2cxT-rtOhM8VKdd2_q3JoZIOJVlM96jAGfMO4xdQaZp9BA/s640/IMG_6791.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roman anchors were made of two heavy stones conjoined by some heavy wood.<br />
It's an ingenious design.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVvoUw6TGGZWHGvcGwA4ykdOv7Wk4dK6fcY8pLkcnQILQo5pLmVj21wn_vgZwP_pr4PXysHU13xaB9MN5jMd5ae8rVFnl7K_ZcmEBeD9kk40AYbcNUTO3be9EEFSjHQs3z5zHY8XeDQ/s1600/IMG_6794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVvoUw6TGGZWHGvcGwA4ykdOv7Wk4dK6fcY8pLkcnQILQo5pLmVj21wn_vgZwP_pr4PXysHU13xaB9MN5jMd5ae8rVFnl7K_ZcmEBeD9kk40AYbcNUTO3be9EEFSjHQs3z5zHY8XeDQ/s640/IMG_6794.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amphorae that carried high-quality wine</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKIDNmL4nTCeH2PtBOCIQKplSQ_BBIKpWp4tFPvxXJ5IWU6ksZ9meDDYWvsTt_XzbIhDcmhjm-9Vuqr3Sx0dnLjAXMNEFrdkn5RsRPI3ezRHlJel5whraw7VW2mya7MY0aqU5HreSBg/s1600/IMG_6795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKIDNmL4nTCeH2PtBOCIQKplSQ_BBIKpWp4tFPvxXJ5IWU6ksZ9meDDYWvsTt_XzbIhDcmhjm-9Vuqr3Sx0dnLjAXMNEFrdkn5RsRPI3ezRHlJel5whraw7VW2mya7MY0aqU5HreSBg/s640/IMG_6795.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scale model of the Roman merchant vessel that sank</td></tr>
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Just outside the museum, near a church, came across a large family that had gathered for the baptism of their toddler in a Roman baptistery that dates back to the 5th century, the earliest days of Christianity in the Roman Empire. The river has deposited so much sand that the baptistery is now 10 feet below ground level.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEW8ImJuXOLz_WVdkDfxH7cefpiquUQ_Eg70eIG52lEPcqaSUZxJK2ikTHdhGG5x2C7QFIhtligwOxwDQVkybwiCc5SuAq2yYkLCZ3zuUVcQZh5fUPuayJiQwgnDtD-Ru7aZSgRZzmQ/s1600/IMG_6799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEW8ImJuXOLz_WVdkDfxH7cefpiquUQ_Eg70eIG52lEPcqaSUZxJK2ikTHdhGG5x2C7QFIhtligwOxwDQVkybwiCc5SuAq2yYkLCZ3zuUVcQZh5fUPuayJiQwgnDtD-Ru7aZSgRZzmQ/s640/IMG_6799.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clergy dress code has not changed much since the 5th century.<br />
But the subjects now support hair gel (on the baby) and tights (on the mother).</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGjWGTqxDD5R14mM53JFhrV_i60j9O1jXnbNH63Zt-7epGvOjvn7kkB_7PI3HhlQo454wlQYe_vScaKpEbxPyfIBiPsjX7qaYAMlIyz8yKBzhTXP_SM4jUIavQnsg7tZuiWRqi2wK2g/s1600/IMG_6803.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGjWGTqxDD5R14mM53JFhrV_i60j9O1jXnbNH63Zt-7epGvOjvn7kkB_7PI3HhlQo454wlQYe_vScaKpEbxPyfIBiPsjX7qaYAMlIyz8yKBzhTXP_SM4jUIavQnsg7tZuiWRqi2wK2g/s640/IMG_6803.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Just outside the encampment area, there were a bunch of people selling second-hand goods on the street.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGAjkObHEpJVyrhElGW5gtIUOiIH0Hbc6BovJxZlxEqrWs3WjO_EEJKT69v8nr2yUSMfTbeCBNDO8l4F6hnu7HRv9o97V1V4S7UEBur9vC1wK9bpgrZEf0UMMMt3YyYfrN81NDxXNkw/s1600/IMG_6813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGAjkObHEpJVyrhElGW5gtIUOiIH0Hbc6BovJxZlxEqrWs3WjO_EEJKT69v8nr2yUSMfTbeCBNDO8l4F6hnu7HRv9o97V1V4S7UEBur9vC1wK9bpgrZEf0UMMMt3YyYfrN81NDxXNkw/s640/IMG_6813.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He promises that, with this equipment, you can go very deep and stay there for a long time.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievg27PQhLFTnFCSVsdF2mt2SCIuDLnH0WCr1JZTi0pVmiOvpyA-HLkSZji0LsJJE296nSf2e2oVTDabPzn7UWzitdq6Fu7tFhgYMNXe22Ke_nqFGcZN51hkJTNey8LuFVvK9e33XxHg/s1600/IMG_6814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievg27PQhLFTnFCSVsdF2mt2SCIuDLnH0WCr1JZTi0pVmiOvpyA-HLkSZji0LsJJE296nSf2e2oVTDabPzn7UWzitdq6Fu7tFhgYMNXe22Ke_nqFGcZN51hkJTNey8LuFVvK9e33XxHg/s640/IMG_6814.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's a unique take-off on General Lee from the Dukes of Hazard. It actually said "General Lee" on the other side of the Vespa.<br />
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All in all, Albenga is a quaint town that's definitely worth the side trip for anyone in the region.<br />
<br /></div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com017031 Albenga Savona, Italy44.0484502 8.214959099999987344.009242699999994 8.1495415999999867 44.0876577 8.2803765999999879tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-9708502765305283572011-07-23T11:56:00.003+02:002011-07-23T11:56:00.896+02:00Torment in Alassio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There was an insane windstorm in Alassio, which the locals call, aptly, <i>tormenta</i>. Here are some shots from around the marina. I had thought about mooring at anchor at the nearby private island (isolated area, no other boats, no dock, no electricity, just a single anchor), but decided against it because the clouds looked menacing. I felt like a genius for this decision, as the small mini anchor would definitely not have held against this wind.<br />
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Even the marina, protected behind a seawall, was full of spray. Every line on every boat was whistling in the wind, and loose canvas, like jib covers, was flapping wildly. Rain came in gusts, but the wind never let up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUV1N7E1HEeGYB0NxRKcrqA0efMcxt7DtWiviCKioTZuXzNXmQCrj0xL035vyqxX_691It2NclZj-ENfB0yHIBbzLRHPCDA6g62oPjKrCPHcI8c2XHw6Pf7NOxSuqAN2vkZq7ywXWZw/s1600/IMG_6751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUV1N7E1HEeGYB0NxRKcrqA0efMcxt7DtWiviCKioTZuXzNXmQCrj0xL035vyqxX_691It2NclZj-ENfB0yHIBbzLRHPCDA6g62oPjKrCPHcI8c2XHw6Pf7NOxSuqAN2vkZq7ywXWZw/s640/IMG_6751.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whitecaps</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjP1QehT2fMo088HsXf1RPIarzz8b2JdTV_hfMym1J98iM3bcrkt5jROqIOnEhSRM9wcJ2tH-LvV_J4oSJ0kQqfEjBe0AaaJR0qR1aj5ihhrbxY3daRTlqF9rDIbDcKzHJawnzRmcAww/s1600/IMG_6753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjP1QehT2fMo088HsXf1RPIarzz8b2JdTV_hfMym1J98iM3bcrkt5jROqIOnEhSRM9wcJ2tH-LvV_J4oSJ0kQqfEjBe0AaaJR0qR1aj5ihhrbxY3daRTlqF9rDIbDcKzHJawnzRmcAww/s640/IMG_6753.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waves look small from this angle, but note the high water mark and remember that the Med has no tides.<br />
Those waves climbed all the way up there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVccWrGgejarDFnUQqrid9DQ5YcZ_qgBL42kYKXBs9qIS9vAwK8TGVK6Hv8Kq9Nwsjcg1FyHrGr__5rU36RO2tKOY3AL0UHVD3-0g6vV2s2zly7okKs7qqYJD-TE8lfM6NKsNzeYS6bw/s1600/IMG_6826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVccWrGgejarDFnUQqrid9DQ5YcZ_qgBL42kYKXBs9qIS9vAwK8TGVK6Hv8Kq9Nwsjcg1FyHrGr__5rU36RO2tKOY3AL0UHVD3-0g6vV2s2zly7okKs7qqYJD-TE8lfM6NKsNzeYS6bw/s640/IMG_6826.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How it looked from inside the mini.<br />
Note the waves created in a secluded, sheltered port.</td></tr>
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Glad to be at a secure port through this storm!<br />
<br /></div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com017021 Alassio Savona, Italy44.0026703 8.1669385999999843.9784388 8.1248320999999812 44.0269018 8.20904509999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-55461027078633543792011-07-23T10:56:00.002+02:002011-07-31T22:32:17.955+02:00Kiteboarders in Alassio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The Alassio and Albenga areas turn out to be pretty good for kiteboarding and windsurfing. There is a rivermouth that has created a shallow area, and the cape channels the wind to a constant northwesterly. The boarders were ripping it up with a steady 20 knots, with gusts in the 40-50 knot range.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGzGFAeApxvbRQhXsXnrub5sMbT6y-jThETAuq7_s2MMJ0HSgKhXPZHTpgx2FYgtGt2005aEa4nbfmwQ-PYXJwRP_TycwSus4FEtdvQdyjzGAxzbIXlainRjMjJjwbW8hKbFTvUJ-Tg/s1600/IMG_6660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGzGFAeApxvbRQhXsXnrub5sMbT6y-jThETAuq7_s2MMJ0HSgKhXPZHTpgx2FYgtGt2005aEa4nbfmwQ-PYXJwRP_TycwSus4FEtdvQdyjzGAxzbIXlainRjMjJjwbW8hKbFTvUJ-Tg/s640/IMG_6660.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I saw 19 kites flying concurrently</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifm-bQge5WM_T9u75vGnVdezy84uZ22L3cgpMDlhcoqljuLX8e4Pl_AMPJcr3Vxoa3yGrS3bK8fRszb0iV50go3MlFrAvQN2CADLnV3OBs5SHswJDBI4URLHCSmV1B4ZKuZ0NUwXEWeA/s1600/IMG_6816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifm-bQge5WM_T9u75vGnVdezy84uZ22L3cgpMDlhcoqljuLX8e4Pl_AMPJcr3Vxoa3yGrS3bK8fRszb0iV50go3MlFrAvQN2CADLnV3OBs5SHswJDBI4URLHCSmV1B4ZKuZ0NUwXEWeA/s640/IMG_6816.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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</div></div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com117031 Albenga Savona, Italy44.043021144084008 8.223198846093737344.003813644084005 8.1577813460937367 44.082228644084012 8.2886163460937379tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-25641627947192668582011-07-22T11:22:00.009+02:002011-07-22T22:31:55.298+02:00Alassio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is the Chile of beach resort towns: the town is so long and thin that everything feels weirdly stretched out. The beaches look pretty decent, though I'm not much of a beach person -- I prefer anchoring off of rocky areas and looking around with a mask and snorkel, as opposed to lounging on sand. But if you like lounging on sand, Alassio has plenty of nice areas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NK8OQzqKPYQ9W51DYpNvPK0BgZG0ihwoqx8URa45B66BBzENQ4RwBKF6ujjBKMNa12FCw3kGn07hM45DlW1h1MzzfH_MEREd069VLMVUK-v7SdRutlK88qHHYmvrdm_VnUsEpbSjuQ/s1600/IMG_6685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NK8OQzqKPYQ9W51DYpNvPK0BgZG0ihwoqx8URa45B66BBzENQ4RwBKF6ujjBKMNa12FCw3kGn07hM45DlW1h1MzzfH_MEREd069VLMVUK-v7SdRutlK88qHHYmvrdm_VnUsEpbSjuQ/s640/IMG_6685.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every beach section has its own rescue people</td></tr>
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One odd thing about Italy is that the beaches are sectioned off and handed over to private enterprises. You have to pay someone and rent a deckchair (aka <i>chaise longue)</i> to get access to the sea. In Spain and France, the beaches are considered public property and you can practically walk to any part of the country as long as you walk on sand. Not so in Italy; there are fences between these cordoned off beach sections. It reminded me of Neil Stephenson's burb-claves of the cypherpunk post-future -- every beach section has a different look and feel to it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIsBsazZSr8pvNmE-QfMeuARPiQ-QTR29FzQKz3bBBzsr4b8CMrA3je1lSvSkAHL1vyAFFAxfSOKb_CGFmcTsV0PBbCIa5qXgVn58nsZgqhW34BIgJlNa_6IfPbq5NCtEAxByZvl-8Q/s1600/IMG_6692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIsBsazZSr8pvNmE-QfMeuARPiQ-QTR29FzQKz3bBBzsr4b8CMrA3je1lSvSkAHL1vyAFFAxfSOKb_CGFmcTsV0PBbCIa5qXgVn58nsZgqhW34BIgJlNa_6IfPbq5NCtEAxByZvl-8Q/s640/IMG_6692.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Restaurant on the beach, on a windy day with high waves. Everyone was remarkably cool, even<br />
when big waves crashed and swept under their feet.</td></tr>
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The town is famous for something called "baci," which is the tasty bastard child of a macaroon and a cookie.<br />
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The 2km long town is full of little snack stores. I thought this was the best one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fDnX015zDyZ1BAdyccD3azxXt2Q_Yol3d197da4StxE9IwNnHoQC7i1rH-6-eRvEAIg_ftP3FbF1GyZTsB3KUnI88B3GvCbnnhYTIRqFSq5PlW4UVq9Bwd12ML58UtdkLX60sBGhqA/s1600/IMG_6699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fDnX015zDyZ1BAdyccD3azxXt2Q_Yol3d197da4StxE9IwNnHoQC7i1rH-6-eRvEAIg_ftP3FbF1GyZTsB3KUnI88B3GvCbnnhYTIRqFSq5PlW4UVq9Bwd12ML58UtdkLX60sBGhqA/s640/IMG_6699.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone who is so proud of her product has to be selling the best of its kind, which she was.</td></tr>
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The big attraction in Alassio is the "muretto," a wall where all the famous people who have visited the town have left their signatures. Not knowing much about Italian celebrities, I recognized only the following few visitors.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dz_f0os3x2ydGLHqjqFJAI4nSQ7EB_AC_iKrXNTkeSiwboX23shzLEpPnMf1XOmyqCgWDtEwKKPcCBEnMjM8Xb0f4RDXqCniexFgtgKHuCb9ijFmqJmYYudM5inw0XBGV9G1nA9K_w/s1600/IMG_6700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dz_f0os3x2ydGLHqjqFJAI4nSQ7EB_AC_iKrXNTkeSiwboX23shzLEpPnMf1XOmyqCgWDtEwKKPcCBEnMjM8Xb0f4RDXqCniexFgtgKHuCb9ijFmqJmYYudM5inw0XBGV9G1nA9K_w/s640/IMG_6700.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woody Allen, pre-scandal and distinctly funnier at the time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvPmcCJV8Vw_E_jjP0IlNIwspxO0UsqW2iTMTRBRsAhrmuWmc9qIbarPaTlIUwd6x8rK6XrEmg9m9ttgku0xRU0b4a48mqarrmrz5hvu_gki1gA7DvS4043gafeyLMj2gebU-OcBt5g/s1600/IMG_6701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvPmcCJV8Vw_E_jjP0IlNIwspxO0UsqW2iTMTRBRsAhrmuWmc9qIbarPaTlIUwd6x8rK6XrEmg9m9ttgku0xRU0b4a48mqarrmrz5hvu_gki1gA7DvS4043gafeyLMj2gebU-OcBt5g/s640/IMG_6701.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hemingway</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKJyzhnLZbwzL4Dcq-H53GhLJlmRRVIatIZ26ZiWvy8n8sNu4GU7CD9v2T7wGeV7ygsa9sk3ocLRsEP_H2S9yJ7nvMQshL8vLRMB0cMrGcR2pvJ2a7T-H5mHNXdOf-yTfFdiJQ1cJ1g/s1600/IMG_6703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKJyzhnLZbwzL4Dcq-H53GhLJlmRRVIatIZ26ZiWvy8n8sNu4GU7CD9v2T7wGeV7ygsa9sk3ocLRsEP_H2S9yJ7nvMQshL8vLRMB0cMrGcR2pvJ2a7T-H5mHNXdOf-yTfFdiJQ1cJ1g/s640/IMG_6703.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis Armstrong next to a Hungarian goalkeeper</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkLMi4gC_XiCTFWzrtwFzuvv2lHJFmbNdwp-0mMXbltOmIAxZNYzUoQjPQNtSZpk-j6oZz-kEELmf35hXeGXUji5QtkoTZASIQVIiwDArXY4GIVQorBJcxUjM65dllAoc5T4YJK9hrw/s1600/IMG_6704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkLMi4gC_XiCTFWzrtwFzuvv2lHJFmbNdwp-0mMXbltOmIAxZNYzUoQjPQNtSZpk-j6oZz-kEELmf35hXeGXUji5QtkoTZASIQVIiwDArXY4GIVQorBJcxUjM65dllAoc5T4YJK9hrw/s640/IMG_6704.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok, the other famous thing about the town is the Miss Muretto Beauty Pageant. It's in August and I visited in July.</td></tr>
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I checked up on Fulvia Rinaldi, Miss Muretto 1961, to see what she had done since winning the pageant back in the day. She was still alive as of 2003 and served as a judge for Miss Muretto at the the pageant's 50th anniversary.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The devil must have dropped by, but he's not here anymore.</td></tr>
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Had a nice moonrise at the end of the night, but the moon looks so much smaller in pictures than it appears when you look at it in person.<br />
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<br /></div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com217021 Alassio Savona, Italy44.0026703 8.1669385999999843.9784388 8.1248320999999812 44.0269018 8.20904509999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-70890570671998884062011-07-22T10:37:00.004+02:002011-07-22T20:17:57.119+02:00Imperia Maurizio to Alassio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Kurt Cobain used to scream "I'm on a plane, I can't complain." That's how it feels when the boat starts going fast. When Guizmo stops displacing water and starts skipping on the surface, it leaves behind a completely different kind of wake. Flat and without much froth, it's reminiscent of what a skipping stone leaves behind. It gets quieter on the boat, the dual rudders slice through the water very precisely, and the boat becomes even more responsive than normal.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guizmo's wake, complicated backstay with three separate attachment points, and the retainer clip for the fishing rod</td></tr>
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Cruising on a mini is actually not that easy. One of the biggest challenges is to organize the stuff down in the cabin. In particular, taking things out of the waterproof bags (even though the inside of the boat has been quite dry so far) has been a constant struggle. In Italy, I gave up all pretense and just started going around in undershirts. I felt like Kurtz in the Heart of Darkness, when he went native.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The horror! The horror!</td></tr>
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If you ever sent or received flowers in Europe, chances are that the flowers were grown in this region. The hills are full of greenhouses and the extensive rail network enables the flowers to be shipped easily throughout Europe.</div>
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Ended up moored at the end of a dock in Port Alassio, a very secluded marina.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQNbWndx7mbKewddodQ47ww2z1GhSzblAdwOV-Ox46lH24381RauvNVjRYiRmmIeu4SLJpownD4S7r_hHZClVgVwds0j7Y9HzcjOlH_8hb6yCvqmLZo9Y2bqStP7eKTExyJI8DQkSVA/s1600/IMG_6673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQNbWndx7mbKewddodQ47ww2z1GhSzblAdwOV-Ox46lH24381RauvNVjRYiRmmIeu4SLJpownD4S7r_hHZClVgVwds0j7Y9HzcjOlH_8hb6yCvqmLZo9Y2bqStP7eKTExyJI8DQkSVA/s640/IMG_6673.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two spinnakers are out on the deck to dry</td></tr>
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</div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-59466750774581651672011-07-22T10:29:00.003+02:002011-07-22T16:58:46.852+02:00How Other People Sail, Part 5<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Despite the low aspect ratio sails, the chunky hull, and heavy wood, this boat has a certain charm to it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jcb-3d6uuIU_PEyBqonB2xaOXBVtTs3k9JLA710oAypM5S1qKNu9OvNCB9I9pVLI9eM19z_tWS24iU9v6HpRSdIwn-_ok9XrzKcNSp-KxRqZD-NPtaeHMlnt3Y2KXBIZ4XhiWMplsg/s1600/IMG_6504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jcb-3d6uuIU_PEyBqonB2xaOXBVtTs3k9JLA710oAypM5S1qKNu9OvNCB9I9pVLI9eM19z_tWS24iU9v6HpRSdIwn-_ok9XrzKcNSp-KxRqZD-NPtaeHMlnt3Y2KXBIZ4XhiWMplsg/s320/IMG_6504.JPG" width="179" /></a></div><br />
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I want this well-designed cover for the automatically retracting pasarella. Or rather, I would, if I had a pasarella of any kind, let alone one that could automatically retract.<br />
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</div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com018100 Imperia, Italy43.8878924 8.031564099999968743.8388384 7.9325600999999688 43.9369464 8.13056809999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-90954635833576530402011-07-21T10:06:00.006+02:002011-08-09T21:53:04.604+02:00Imperia Maurizio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The guidebooks overlook it, but I found Imperia to be a gorgeous little town.<br />
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There are lots of mansions here, belonging to old merchant families, and they've mostly fallen in disrepair with the declining fortunes of this town. They create a unique look.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the doghouse. It's hard not to fall in love with such a town.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An old summer palace, now being used as a house, complete with a clothesline.<br />
In the US, this place would be on some official registry of historic monuments, have a $14 entry fee, and<br />
would have an attached gift shop. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone did a nice job with the pedestrian zones.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wish I had a folding bike in the mini.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIkDiHwn7gwBTEQyoS4lHgydZfOydk5qIOUK4JRurGxk7_cX7IQYvwews8W58zRu-cP9LH9yvmhbYMBu5bd-M-CxuBXiofAMYZzfyWdmNPU0jr9Dxg8hcdMnLzDkq2iZISBRcnquQhQ/s1600/IMG_6558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIkDiHwn7gwBTEQyoS4lHgydZfOydk5qIOUK4JRurGxk7_cX7IQYvwews8W58zRu-cP9LH9yvmhbYMBu5bd-M-CxuBXiofAMYZzfyWdmNPU0jr9Dxg8hcdMnLzDkq2iZISBRcnquQhQ/s640/IMG_6558.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How many generations of kids have grown up in this house?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Cool doors.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTZ8p2iCE_vf0AyTBQFJ8e-dpAFTpeeMGkZddWEY-qQTetxpjg-BUoj3B0je8EmaJ2ioFl8URM4b5quJDgVZfqQim1QzkcwVJ8ZF2lQvdOuxk4Yx-gMWU9IirIK9OpSWvht72YE5cYQ/s1600/IMG_6530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTZ8p2iCE_vf0AyTBQFJ8e-dpAFTpeeMGkZddWEY-qQTetxpjg-BUoj3B0je8EmaJ2ioFl8URM4b5quJDgVZfqQim1QzkcwVJ8ZF2lQvdOuxk4Yx-gMWU9IirIK9OpSWvht72YE5cYQ/s640/IMG_6530.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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In case anyone had any doubts about what country they were in, here are some helpful clues. How many can you spot?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH65vkFiP7ELLwiNePkwEQ4W_IN3UI8WCUAi2ZVmNadiWtPaTaKrcTMokXc6lXfaMvrpFI6cPpAFdDTJ1gi7Qq74s9DaHTGzVOrRGkNfB5xmzEjPrEPFeA0l1lSRTTSIcry31B1gFr6w/s1600/IMG_6542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH65vkFiP7ELLwiNePkwEQ4W_IN3UI8WCUAi2ZVmNadiWtPaTaKrcTMokXc6lXfaMvrpFI6cPpAFdDTJ1gi7Qq74s9DaHTGzVOrRGkNfB5xmzEjPrEPFeA0l1lSRTTSIcry31B1gFr6w/s640/IMG_6542.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Answers, from most subtle to less so: (1) Italian-style narrow matrix gridiron work, (2) Italian shutters that open in two directions, (3) swirls on the building, (4) Italian text on the marble plaque, (5) flag, (6) undershirt out to dry just like in a Fellini movie. I thought hard about the relative order between item 5 and 6, and I think I got it right. Italians love to hang their underwear in public.<br />
<br />
I initially thought these guys were having a big fight. Then I realized that they were good friends in violent agreement with each other and upset at some external thing that I couldn't quite figure out.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yLloesmU9KTJgRUKgYwJbL3atL9xlQLTs7NGAncrxMJRggF85DxlL18WKljr1VPF2dIObTzG7crz9Ghp0_rmXW-1jgDhgHHpJU4W8O7mPStLHo_K9YZ-KWUZj69AD-AM20bPWlpQvA/s1600/IMG_6563.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yLloesmU9KTJgRUKgYwJbL3atL9xlQLTs7NGAncrxMJRggF85DxlL18WKljr1VPF2dIObTzG7crz9Ghp0_rmXW-1jgDhgHHpJU4W8O7mPStLHo_K9YZ-KWUZj69AD-AM20bPWlpQvA/s640/IMG_6563.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Not sure if this is an Italy-wide practice, but the town posts the obituaries in kiosks near piazzas.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWIkVtGl1KGbYG88JUhIZe91AM7apKrYLQdlLqzsUb4h9AmG2cAwi7nS2-U3UAi7aJI-OJSsA3wi5yVMv6MsALeuf8XhyzBVwT0OzQn70pPpxtXSQtcLGnVjep-YHX1BmI3yilCvLsg/s1600/IMG_6603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWIkVtGl1KGbYG88JUhIZe91AM7apKrYLQdlLqzsUb4h9AmG2cAwi7nS2-U3UAi7aJI-OJSsA3wi5yVMv6MsALeuf8XhyzBVwT0OzQn70pPpxtXSQtcLGnVjep-YHX1BmI3yilCvLsg/s640/IMG_6603.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Random shots around town.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkyfEEo1o56iaYfzMjxTmH28YnMRrsevEjZ4HGIBB7mL0s-CZPF0zap4gIU9OKHBhdylD6sA4F-u0nNxyVwKTtm9k8VRT09wQ_SbbY0mBhnrHamdjsi5QmsVWZ1auM1FuPbYEvNlYNg/s1600/IMG_6583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkyfEEo1o56iaYfzMjxTmH28YnMRrsevEjZ4HGIBB7mL0s-CZPF0zap4gIU9OKHBhdylD6sA4F-u0nNxyVwKTtm9k8VRT09wQ_SbbY0mBhnrHamdjsi5QmsVWZ1auM1FuPbYEvNlYNg/s640/IMG_6583.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this shot captures the spirit of this city. Dense, yet mostly empty, with allusions to past grandeur.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg488Y4gFmMjEAqPVcZSsHTilV4rd5UQgE-ewPsFItDoT8AAPZjTeMAYpnstsRmHywVu4xrwfjMHHC4cZtH0w1n-W3vYaROYQhiiuo-UEEPRpIlKwcnxZnkcwDWbVEidYmgO-JdfxRKUQ/s1600/IMG_6561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg488Y4gFmMjEAqPVcZSsHTilV4rd5UQgE-ewPsFItDoT8AAPZjTeMAYpnstsRmHywVu4xrwfjMHHC4cZtH0w1n-W3vYaROYQhiiuo-UEEPRpIlKwcnxZnkcwDWbVEidYmgO-JdfxRKUQ/s640/IMG_6561.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sundial does not know about modern inventions like daylight savings time</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZweMy7ypaAeeY1ubOlEMOxjVYUxSE7ELn3OcoN9RXXRAfWeZ9kowHeFkJEqhz_oMwBUjnSgoasYzr1c6lbzAu3GxLCrHn0918r2r7cOnHwQvEbsDwjPGGBu6buIfl8reJ6CuqLPGhA/s1600/IMG_6574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZweMy7ypaAeeY1ubOlEMOxjVYUxSE7ELn3OcoN9RXXRAfWeZ9kowHeFkJEqhz_oMwBUjnSgoasYzr1c6lbzAu3GxLCrHn0918r2r7cOnHwQvEbsDwjPGGBu6buIfl8reJ6CuqLPGhA/s640/IMG_6574.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm a sucker for well-lit churches</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com018100 Imperia, Italy43.8878924 8.031564099999968743.8388384 7.9325600999999688 43.9369464 8.13056809999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-1886530981075913352011-07-21T10:05:00.001+02:002011-07-21T20:00:09.500+02:00Port Imperia Maurizio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There is a huge, absolutely enormous, marina being built in Imperia. I found out first hand that winter storage for boats in the south of France is a huge problem. The Internet is full of skippers looking for marinas with dry storage around this region, and others telling them that there are none.<br />
<br />
The only real options are near Marseilles (a place called Navitime and another called Napoleon), in Sete, or in Toulon. Between Toulon and the Italian border, that is, throughout Cote d'Azur and the French Riviera, the ports are almost uniformly too cramped to have dry storage (aka <i>port a sec</i> in French). There is one marina whose name escapes me near Cannes with dry storage, but it has a waiting list a mile long.<br />
<br />
So the Italians have built this modern, well-designed port, with a big shipyard, a convention center and many hundreds of berths. When I visited (in summer 2011), the dry storage areas were not ready yet, but they will go into operation next year. It's a very nice facility, situated close to the south of France. And the people who run this place are incredibly nice and helpful.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlpKx7jfL6uCnfFJfOhWvi72iIJfNhYXbz62gN94o65eOcHsAPuqdZkD9eouTT_vChVmMlvpmC9JYoZ2UtntaiIoAHatIRJVVHqGhgkpbcFpyeHozTdlUG9I3d2-Vavx5VgiO0K3WIw/s1600/IMG_6602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlpKx7jfL6uCnfFJfOhWvi72iIJfNhYXbz62gN94o65eOcHsAPuqdZkD9eouTT_vChVmMlvpmC9JYoZ2UtntaiIoAHatIRJVVHqGhgkpbcFpyeHozTdlUG9I3d2-Vavx5VgiO0K3WIw/s640/IMG_6602.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mockup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdqoxO5fovMVGb51lSNcEm-PUPumdMlQezba7jMc_zbJs_J-fI2PDlHj6jfgwVmGFCXfBlazUlWp-dNsAe6K7vG52YpSIP1JzfU7n2D5knoFA6NcN3R5-GYXSD_pBa3y2QQEMycl4WA/s1600/IMG_6611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdqoxO5fovMVGb51lSNcEm-PUPumdMlQezba7jMc_zbJs_J-fI2PDlHj6jfgwVmGFCXfBlazUlWp-dNsAe6K7vG52YpSIP1JzfU7n2D5knoFA6NcN3R5-GYXSD_pBa3y2QQEMycl4WA/s640/IMG_6611.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real thing is just as clean and picture-perfect as the mockup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com018100 Imperia, Italy43.8878924 8.031564099999968743.8388384 7.9325600999999688 43.9369464 8.13056809999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-21277507058189537562011-07-21T08:54:00.006+02:002011-07-21T19:58:25.129+02:00Crossing to Italy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Headed out east from Menton. Crossing the Italian border was fun. Took down the French tricolors and replaced them with the Italian ones.<br />
<br />
Changing flags is always a time of reflection. I thought that with the whole EU unification talk making the rounds for two decades now, I'd see a well-blended, unified culture with subtle variations across the Med. I could not have been more wrong. There are huge and distinct differences across the borders. Spain is nothing like France, which is nothing like Italy. The food is different, the architecture is different, and most importantly, the people are incredibly different. I won't attempt to characterize the differences because I don't want to give up on becoming the president of Harvard some day -- it turns out that Americans are deathly afraid of making perfectly valid generalizations, appearing to make cultural judgments, or implying that certain cultures might have certain traits, even if they actually do, for fear of appearing to be biased or prejudiced (and yes, that was a sweeping generalization about Americans). I had a fantastic time in both Spain and France and had been looking forward to what Italy had in store for Guizmo.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3NOaxLJpCcupK0ZSMUQ6VXpKcKByqOgz-dB-OSk6tQ9yTKaWgZJHftinN2RkeUkBOEOF72cyhhOSG1Y9rfjybHqBG7CwgED2ca-06LgcJo9Z1u6N84XBin9jsQ-ygKazZzb_u1J_EA/s1600/IMG_6415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3NOaxLJpCcupK0ZSMUQ6VXpKcKByqOgz-dB-OSk6tQ9yTKaWgZJHftinN2RkeUkBOEOF72cyhhOSG1Y9rfjybHqBG7CwgED2ca-06LgcJo9Z1u6N84XBin9jsQ-ygKazZzb_u1J_EA/s640/IMG_6415.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Italian passport entitles the holder to <a href="http://medcrossing.blogspot.com/2011/07/moped-tour-in-parc-nacional-de-cap-de.html">a red Vespa wherever they go</a>, and to<br />
wear just a haltertop in public.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are some interesting geological formations between Ventimiglia and Bordighera that, coupled with some rivers that carry the sediment down into the sea, give the sea a different, lighter color. At first, I thought the color shift marked some shallows, but I cross-checked my trusty <a href="http://medcrossing.blogspot.com/2011/06/charts-or-here-be-dragons.html">Soviet maps</a> against the depthmeter and sailed onto the lightly colored stuff. It's very pretty and the pictures don't do it justice.<br />
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For better or worse, I decided to skip Sanremo. It seemed like it was too sprawled out, a little too overdone, and I thought I'd have more fun at a smaller town. So I pulled into Imperia Maurizio at the end of the day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72ZktvHmc-bG35HaExJoOotXkcYDyYZ5WFhMkTsjRwWEKfADOiS-OfXESi_ZwyKLHR6xG26exY2NJrzApGxJaXUEFa4NGmUgQPig7rtgFo__f1HrxRviD1LXD4_v5JL_V2EtsE5EkgQ/s1600/IMG_6488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72ZktvHmc-bG35HaExJoOotXkcYDyYZ5WFhMkTsjRwWEKfADOiS-OfXESi_ZwyKLHR6xG26exY2NJrzApGxJaXUEFa4NGmUgQPig7rtgFo__f1HrxRviD1LXD4_v5JL_V2EtsE5EkgQ/s640/IMG_6488.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During a nice and relaxed downwind run with the spinnaker.<br />
I don the lifejacket when the spinnaker goes up.</td></tr>
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</div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com018100 Imperia, Italy43.8878924 8.031564099999968743.8388384 7.9325600999999688 43.9369464 8.13056809999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-38647187123659741292011-07-19T23:44:00.009+02:002011-07-20T01:42:20.953+02:00Red, White and Blue of a Different KindI ended up seeing the Bastille Day ceremonies in Menton. The French take their Bastille Day seriously: I ended up seeing part of the military parade in Paris on TV, where there was a representative troop unit from every part of the French armed forces.<br />
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One of the most impressive units at the parade was the French Foreign Legion. France is unique in letting foreign nationals serve in a special unit in its army. In return for serving France and her interests, the foreigners get to become French nationals after three years, with a new identity of their own choosing. In essence, you join the Foreign Legion, pick a fake name, and if you serve for three years or your blood is spilled on the battlefield, you become a French national. Of course, this attracts a certain kind of personality, specifically, the kind that has committed atrocities in multiple countries and has run out of options. Interestingly, Wikipedia says that the Legion had a reputation for allowing felons into its ranks in the past, but the admission criteria are much tighter now. Well, I'm sure that that line was added to Wikipedia by a French PR flak. In fact, if there had been a Wikipedia during the Franco-Prussian War, presumably written on pieces of loose paper and disseminated on horseback, it would still have said the same thing back then.<br />
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The French first responders followed the Legion, staged a car accident in the middle of the parade and cut apart a car with the jaws of life. I guess they need to show the public that they know how to respond to <a href="http://medcrossing.blogspot.com/2011/07/monaco-to-menton.html">calls for help</a>. I'd like to see the port dude in Menton do the same. Interestingly, it was a very slow operation, and at some point, it looked like the jaws of life they brought along was not going to be sufficient for the larger car they had for the mock rescue.<br />
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And finally, there was a group of tough guys from French Polynesia who got into formation and started hitting themselves in the chest. Apparently, they were doing some kind of <a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20110713-overseas-territories-star-bastille-day-military-parade-july-14-france">tribal dance</a> where the objective, presumably, is to indicate to your opponent that you're so strong that you can go into battle where you beat yourself up first, fight your opponent and still win -- it's kind of like pre-drinking before a night of partying.<br />
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Even in the tiny town of Menton, the celebrations were quite elaborate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVIXbkygjNvKydI6t9r-DpHpaFV623GwMLzwMWGJEP46q0dGzmi4l1kfJg2gZ9314ACSlC0l8aj9txbJf-wwpZyOfqk4yWoKw0fkgw9RGA_7hrYkg75EaPY6H0AuiT91zQDkeTqdLvw/s1600/IMG_6166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVIXbkygjNvKydI6t9r-DpHpaFV623GwMLzwMWGJEP46q0dGzmi4l1kfJg2gZ9314ACSlC0l8aj9txbJf-wwpZyOfqk4yWoKw0fkgw9RGA_7hrYkg75EaPY6H0AuiT91zQDkeTqdLvw/s640/IMG_6166.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Down with the King!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnlkNCWdK1lze8_BznrI_ZT_89eu-9yybolEZi4nETQ9e-JFbHftR6pae9HN-qd6uJAnVkPHXbW7pz0hyyIezo7yUznh7098Fh2bB8HhUnCN28Fdwix1uEloPaFbbI_MI70SnOd2jdw/s1600/IMG_6169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnlkNCWdK1lze8_BznrI_ZT_89eu-9yybolEZi4nETQ9e-JFbHftR6pae9HN-qd6uJAnVkPHXbW7pz0hyyIezo7yUznh7098Fh2bB8HhUnCN28Fdwix1uEloPaFbbI_MI70SnOd2jdw/s640/IMG_6169.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WWII outfit alongside Bastille-stormers!<br />
That guy can single-handedly mow everyone down with a machine gun.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhsIqGv4AO-IiNIEWcJWKjdt0GF85DNvPSzyNT7M6L-hBrdmH-QBJDz6l2J1ZePTyAkR8MszpMuXcfuVPvi68zFesNOgsiGb5PO2xLd6MY7JGWpUueHJDuBEViVYiVtAACRyYfcXGRw/s1600/IMG_6145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhsIqGv4AO-IiNIEWcJWKjdt0GF85DNvPSzyNT7M6L-hBrdmH-QBJDz6l2J1ZePTyAkR8MszpMuXcfuVPvi68zFesNOgsiGb5PO2xLd6MY7JGWpUueHJDuBEViVYiVtAACRyYfcXGRw/s640/IMG_6145.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large contingency of allies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0sceoHdoiUnIqlvAM4_BVpEQ2xL0a07-m9j8HlFdj-yTTb2-3gVjjgN8mB_9E9RiV6oLQZhLc9GEJ5t9AibDckxLXTCy6zR4WCJztZlzMopL1oSkOeaM4R_TWYP_4TFxxPC_lLlbjw/s1600/IMG_6197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0sceoHdoiUnIqlvAM4_BVpEQ2xL0a07-m9j8HlFdj-yTTb2-3gVjjgN8mB_9E9RiV6oLQZhLc9GEJ5t9AibDckxLXTCy6zR4WCJztZlzMopL1oSkOeaM4R_TWYP_4TFxxPC_lLlbjw/s640/IMG_6197.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeeps and muskets. It looks just like upstate NY before the start of the regular deer season.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZOUVJGDBEHdNCv6n_s4ubIw_3lzPwqBmPgc0Z4jWf1X_ZEr7odraPmxNy1jJ7vnMAzV2O94f54TYSE86lriM0uUCCUbM3ka1rwz7Jb_YG1fELcQWGlK5z-dSv40tM255tNPhdu9tfg/s1600/IMG_6192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZOUVJGDBEHdNCv6n_s4ubIw_3lzPwqBmPgc0Z4jWf1X_ZEr7odraPmxNy1jJ7vnMAzV2O94f54TYSE86lriM0uUCCUbM3ka1rwz7Jb_YG1fELcQWGlK5z-dSv40tM255tNPhdu9tfg/s640/IMG_6192.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vive La France! Mort aux oiseaux de mer!</td></tr>
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There was, of course, a large fireworks show at night. They're not very big on safety precautions in Europe, so I got to see the fireworks barge up close. Very close.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Vhyphenhyphen1nli5-CThvWUaUppogjaTMFSYp_EHsL-EshlRBrKhEmBBvaVh0AtxqJXf7CKH-90MylGUlZEEycl-TddNon2ZTznKRh_-vkNhfFQVPaSQj3JX4RnMmBhYjYICU_c9W9QeYvD-VA/s1600/IMG_6290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Vhyphenhyphen1nli5-CThvWUaUppogjaTMFSYp_EHsL-EshlRBrKhEmBBvaVh0AtxqJXf7CKH-90MylGUlZEEycl-TddNon2ZTznKRh_-vkNhfFQVPaSQj3JX4RnMmBhYjYICU_c9W9QeYvD-VA/s640/IMG_6290.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every single piece of fireworks gets its own mortar tube</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>It turns out that photographing fireworks is very very difficult, even with a tripod.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJs0MFNAfuNMKDJfnFqL5goqggMki0eSQC16YKAJHjprcQms-nmZmyY3H5P975-nYNSjFxCc-xxeMqP7q_t1UHeX6Cf-TLrln9IhhzI70raJMRQSnfD0ODRsWhRGhvCCj_fv2s3XcOA/s1600/IMG_6316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJs0MFNAfuNMKDJfnFqL5goqggMki0eSQC16YKAJHjprcQms-nmZmyY3H5P975-nYNSjFxCc-xxeMqP7q_t1UHeX6Cf-TLrln9IhhzI70raJMRQSnfD0ODRsWhRGhvCCj_fv2s3XcOA/s640/IMG_6316.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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</div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com5Menton, France43.774481 7.497540000000071843.743602 7.465392500000072 43.80536 7.5296875000000716tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-68097237293258292212011-07-19T23:00:00.009+02:002011-07-23T15:05:09.528+02:00Monton Old Port to Menton Garavan, A Tale of Two Ports In One City<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3whYQLjUyFtaUf4u7b_hd7JgDXEFwcgD_BsPw5mdrxi8_GqwNLKYLeMP4wv2mjyZDs7pTe7g_P1JmGGJpzvmxDPhFVbNn2g4bftSsMau9_P7zRpprhUv65ph1aNI_YVv0GBS9X2hag/s1600/menton.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3whYQLjUyFtaUf4u7b_hd7JgDXEFwcgD_BsPw5mdrxi8_GqwNLKYLeMP4wv2mjyZDs7pTe7g_P1JmGGJpzvmxDPhFVbNn2g4bftSsMau9_P7zRpprhUv65ph1aNI_YVv0GBS9X2hag/s640/menton.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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How many ports must a small town build, before you call it a racially and culturally-integrated town? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.<br />
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So Menton has two ports. One dates back to the Phoenicians, and the other is only 30 years old. They're practically side by side, and have duplicated all services. One look at this situation in this small border town, and I just knew what it was all about: one port, the older one, is for the French-speaking contingency in Menton, while the other is essentially an Italian colony. It's kind of funny, considering that the entire region used to belong to the House of Savoy and was, in essence, Italian until not too long ago. And oddly, most people here have last names that indicate Italian ancestry.<br />
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If this is the situation with the ports, I don't even want to know how the school districts work. Maybe they can make some headway towards unification by bussing Italian boats into the Old Port, and the reverse for the French boats into Port Garavan. A port costs $20+M, it is ridiculous to build two of them as an edifice to cultural separation. As an aside, the entire "unified currency in Europe" idea is predicated on the notion that labor can move freely to wherever the jobs are. Well, you can see why people might be reluctant to move across boundaries.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella, sans transmission,<br />
trying to get her groove back yet again</td></tr>
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In any case, I needed to show Stella the Engine to a mechanic, as it developed a gear problem. It was Bastille Day, so the mechanic in the French port was off. I thought I'd have to sail to the nearest Italian port, in Ventimiglia, to get the engine serviced -- a 4-5 mile sail, not long enough to be fun, on a windless day to boot -- but then decided to check out the new port within Menton. I was greeted with "Buon Giorno" by the guys at the port, and sure enough, the mechanic, Segnor Osvaldo, spoke only Italian and, naturally, was at work even though it was Bastille Day. He pulled apart the lower engine assembly, ground down a part, and reassembled the shifter, so now, there is absolutely no part of the engine that I have not personally touched. Stella the Engine seems to have gotten its groove back again. I was about to chuck it overboard and buy a new one, but at this point, I just can't get rid of something whose every piece I have lovingly touched, took apart and reassembled. She's coming with me to wherever Guizmo's final destination might be.</div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-5242298586993835492011-07-17T17:00:00.007+02:002011-07-21T20:00:29.241+02:00Menton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is a quaint little town. Reminded me of Antibes and Cadaques in a way, even though it lacks Antibes' city walls and the giant bay that defines Cadaques.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Menton, town view</td></tr>
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This Greek warrior welcomes you at the port.<br />
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The kids act slightly differently here than they did elsewhere in France, closer to what I saw in Spain -- there is much more screaming and running away from the vicinity of the parents. So the parents entrap them in plastic balls and keep them there until they run out of oxygen. I'm not kidding; the kids remain in those balls for 20 minutes or so and come out much more subdued.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyHd28Fzz53PhpTmM82uxE7kaZjqdRavlegjd7SHMYcn1QD48EvaSioiyQqGpwt1IIVyEIqqgD0taSGFDx3cpWZrJO3sRtYjckRnauQCNLmAJ2e8_33Zy-pDVCLhyphenhyphenSG8KH11fvFoZVQ/s1600/IMG_6069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyHd28Fzz53PhpTmM82uxE7kaZjqdRavlegjd7SHMYcn1QD48EvaSioiyQqGpwt1IIVyEIqqgD0taSGFDx3cpWZrJO3sRtYjckRnauQCNLmAJ2e8_33Zy-pDVCLhyphenhyphenSG8KH11fvFoZVQ/s640/IMG_6069.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is no way you can stay in there for that long in the US</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Any kid not sufficiently punished in the transparent ball prison gets to be tied up onto the trampoline thingy.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUQcfUGn2eOh4djvJLopKOttqAy6sUKXhOvxQzhykFLd-A2W0V9FXQhuDaAf3t5T9CF1_F6pHz9xLo6VS59SJXKyNeYMp28TGNIreKE2XVKVvRlsDF_qRzygtdFbSo5j5EvDP2zcfsw/s1600/IMG_6099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUQcfUGn2eOh4djvJLopKOttqAy6sUKXhOvxQzhykFLd-A2W0V9FXQhuDaAf3t5T9CF1_F6pHz9xLo6VS59SJXKyNeYMp28TGNIreKE2XVKVvRlsDF_qRzygtdFbSo5j5EvDP2zcfsw/s640/IMG_6099.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note little shrimp at right, trying to emulate the upside-down girl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Menton has yet another shutter technology, very different from the ones in previous cities. This one seems to have higher degrees of freedom.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwi-hVddZv9_smDxInNu0EHik-fAqfUiElhlsixFEd9r2gJBwqBRV7Ergl_UOoe49iMAOMhR3uvDnCj2o09RYmFbQLbXyasnkBZxQZQDn-C3_uMLkYdBTan8SxqaGubnaBDEPM1Ej1uA/s1600/IMG_6075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwi-hVddZv9_smDxInNu0EHik-fAqfUiElhlsixFEd9r2gJBwqBRV7Ergl_UOoe49iMAOMhR3uvDnCj2o09RYmFbQLbXyasnkBZxQZQDn-C3_uMLkYdBTan8SxqaGubnaBDEPM1Ej1uA/s640/IMG_6075.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High-tech shutters. Apparently, these are Italian-style.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The place is full of ice cream stores. I liked this one.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTLUTikv1bpdAjeK6rWRgI2GZwUQ7_8umGnAAch60PNTtmnTzucWlL-hFdO50aWUB1kaFjZNx_RJ39eeijgR5kNy3nDhApdtDoit_cKxVJdFjEmtcdxLj0jhwYi_3Z31vtYzlaCndPw/s1600/IMG_6081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTLUTikv1bpdAjeK6rWRgI2GZwUQ7_8umGnAAch60PNTtmnTzucWlL-hFdO50aWUB1kaFjZNx_RJ39eeijgR5kNy3nDhApdtDoit_cKxVJdFjEmtcdxLj0jhwYi_3Z31vtYzlaCndPw/s640/IMG_6081.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Saw this on a menu.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilj5XywOYvYN3-A-JWZhgMwwg77mqejuHBuNq-Evgtt_HCSPZy6lAwCVq2X0myG5RQCSoLjt0lL2POZb5X6XCUlhWM0lveVfM_PLxC3cfCUGv08vNgpcCxbtaYeSHiIKWr4-BEwNFV4w/s1600/IMG_6084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilj5XywOYvYN3-A-JWZhgMwwg77mqejuHBuNq-Evgtt_HCSPZy6lAwCVq2X0myG5RQCSoLjt0lL2POZb5X6XCUlhWM0lveVfM_PLxC3cfCUGv08vNgpcCxbtaYeSHiIKWr4-BEwNFV4w/s640/IMG_6084.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good deal? I guess it all depends on the piece of the butcher one would be getting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Random street view from Menton.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmLMh9e0kIfbNYLjHSgY0CzyJr6z1sif13wlrszrMgevZxJSEWydrhcOtoKIAWq7aPtYucff9B4qUKrG6pvtE44dgken5Zwb7xBYhbpO7Y311jLbO_PupWJy5j13xFNZy-xejt8IMIQ/s1600/IMG_6096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmLMh9e0kIfbNYLjHSgY0CzyJr6z1sif13wlrszrMgevZxJSEWydrhcOtoKIAWq7aPtYucff9B4qUKrG6pvtE44dgken5Zwb7xBYhbpO7Y311jLbO_PupWJy5j13xFNZy-xejt8IMIQ/s640/IMG_6096.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holy Mother gets the best window.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are quaint little bookstores here.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi361fHW-mAbqwwMEEz4ZIpdu77IudQiP1XauXDQK1mGj1x2pLhfo0kAJR0qaudaGrZNHlRWePrLhuCbRIsxNa3SiIHhpu8kZ09EeD2bLLHMoHgj3mWF7ng3iu-L7MBWbsnAF_-PeimOw/s1600/IMG_6106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi361fHW-mAbqwwMEEz4ZIpdu77IudQiP1XauXDQK1mGj1x2pLhfo0kAJR0qaudaGrZNHlRWePrLhuCbRIsxNa3SiIHhpu8kZ09EeD2bLLHMoHgj3mWF7ng3iu-L7MBWbsnAF_-PeimOw/s640/IMG_6106.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one is going after the Somalian youth demographic.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com4Menton, France43.774481 7.497540000000071843.743602 7.465392500000072 43.80536 7.5296875000000716tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-84825570405685457102011-07-17T11:46:00.003+02:002011-07-22T17:18:46.283+02:00Monaco to Menton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The short 3.5 mile jump from Monaco to Menton turned into a nightmare. Meteo prediction was for "Force 2 winds and cloud cover." Anyone can handle that in their sleep. Left the port, put up all the sails, sat back, was about to worry about music selection on the stereo when whitecaps and a substantial swell arrived suddenly. Went down to two reefs and a reefed jib. There was so much wind that when Guizmo jumped from the wavetops and splashed the waves, the splash on the windward side would come into the cockpit in its entireity, without a wasted drop. Which is fine, it's what foul weather gear is for, except it sucks to plan for a nice warm outing and instead have to trade your soaked clean clothing for foulies. The wind was only around 25-30 knots, which is still totally fine and nothing Guizmo has not faced before. But the thunderstorm was a bit too much. I heard some rumbles, and tried to attribute them to planes on approach to Nice, except it was pretty clear these weren't planes. I hate lightning storms at sea. The tall mast on a mini makes me feel like I'm doing a peer-review replica of Benjamin Franklin's experiment, and I know what happened to Franklin's assistants in that experiment.<br />
<br />
Approximately 0.8 miles away from Port Vieux Menton, the big cloud cover reached the boat, the wind died down, Guizmo's engine lost her groove again, and the lightning was all around us. Sitting in the cabin and waiting out lightning flashes was an interesting experience. Tossed out the sea anchor, but the action of the waves must have undone the knot, as it was lost (incidentally, first time I lost anything overboard on this trip). I was slowly moving towards the shore, and thought, "ok, it's safer over there anyway, and if I get really close, I'll drop the anchor and try to hook land before I hit it." I tried to hail someone on the VHF, but no one responded on channels 9 or 16 to my first-ever PAN-PAN call (though it later turned out that the portmaster actually heard my call). I called the port on the cellphone and asked for a tow, also for the first time, but the connection was bad and the fellow was in the worst mood: he understood my plight, but said that he was alone at the pier and could not help. It seems odd that he could not ask someone else. I can only hope that Dante's hell has a special level designed for these beaurocrats, where they get pitchforked in hellfire with random devil's helpers who frolick all around them, could help them if they wanted to but don't because of a badly-written policy document. That level will undoubtedly be reserved for French government workers and AT&T employees.<br />
<br />
Suddenly, the clouds cleared, there was an enormous rainbow, and Stella the engine started working again. I pulled into the port, had a nice conversation with the portmaster where I acted all cool like nothing had happened. He was a bit sheepish and overly nice to me, like he knew what he did was wrong, which gave me a bit of hope for mankind.<br />
<br />
In the end, the storm was probably no big deal for any real pro sailor, but it was a little over my comfort level. Will check Greek meteo, reputed to be much better for the Med than any other, religiously from now on. No pics, even of the rainbow, as it was too wet to take out the camera.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-20780976459761839902011-07-16T17:00:00.001+02:002011-08-11T15:15:39.964+02:00Leaving Monaco<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Decided to leave Monaco for someplace different. Monaco is certainly pretty, and at 37€/night for Guizmo, it's not super expensive to stay here, but the place has a certain odd quality to it that, after a few days, makes you long for normal people putting in normal workdays doing normal work stuff.<br />
<br />
The Monagasque seem to live to their mid-90's at the moment; they have the highest life expectency on earth. I don't know how to interact with someone whose life expectancy is at least 50%, or maybe even double, mine. I feel like saying "you seem to belong to a different species" or "enjoy the planet after I'm gone" or "I'll try to leave the place all nice and clean for you." I now understand how the replicants in Blade Runner, with a genetically programmed lifetime, must have felt.<br />
<br />
They also have the highest per-capita GDP. Yet it's a strange place. You're more likely to find truffle oil on the menu of a restaurant than soap in the same restaurant's bathroom. Prince Albert II, whose rotund visage graces every corner, must be too busy having illegitimate children and displaying his wedding accouterments to worry about founding a sanitation department. Albert II the Rotund: if you ever read this, and judging by your life expectancy, you might have all the time in the world to surf the web in your old age, your fair country needs health inspectors! Also, as an aside, Charlene is too good for you.<br />
<br />
But the real problem with Monaco is that, besides the few native Monagasque, everyone else here is transient and is unlikely to come back. So that basic fact undermines all human interactions. The merchants are mostly transplants who are here to make a quick buck and to move back to their more affordably priced hometowns in France and Italy. And what makes someone not try to rip you off is just basic human decency coupled with the fear of reprisal, in the form of missing out on future transactions and a bad reputation. The former does not go far enough, and when you know that you'll likely never see any given tourist again and that there'll be plenty of others just like him coming to Monaco thanks to the 007 movies, it'd be silly to be overly nice. This makes people at best brusque.<br />
<br />
So I decided to go a little further east to Menton.<br />
<div><br />
</div></div>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com1Monaco43.738417600000012 7.4246157999999743.724366100000012 7.4078682999999694 43.752469100000013 7.44136329999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-29445934867143932222011-07-16T14:00:00.008+02:002011-07-19T01:15:21.685+02:00Palace of Albert and CharleneOn the way to and back from the aquarium, I mapped out the defense structure of Prince Albert II's palace. I hope it's useful to someone who wants to free Charlene from the clutches of His Rotund Blandness and elope with her.<br />
<br />
On the way to her chamber, there are these arrow slits. They seem unmanned.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WXkNbwW1Kq9-UcmRo-OvQ0ErV6UZX9bsUt7w0CH7FzGCesj3YBuwOvqjei2WDoRx3sSmvU8ncQIWIwqHqzW5aNfmxnhB9DYQCBz4ar6B4VYYD6opGNScYQ_Aw99by_UInwl_JN4F-Q/s1600/IMG_6051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WXkNbwW1Kq9-UcmRo-OvQ0ErV6UZX9bsUt7w0CH7FzGCesj3YBuwOvqjei2WDoRx3sSmvU8ncQIWIwqHqzW5aNfmxnhB9DYQCBz4ar6B4VYYD6opGNScYQ_Aw99by_UInwl_JN4F-Q/s640/IMG_6051.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beware of these on the approach</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
They've got some ancient cannons guarding the door. Plenty of ammo, but no gunpowder.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQ1m3W_fdLzRwauIe_O6HA9RTwlaWB3d3eRvdi4UPClr_FDcRyfNw_qkGGxjK182aiyItuqiy6ioA541wPDVjqsKd1zxoMO-5q-mXYm_ZimGIRYlJS4MQmCQA2DokFlD7F0l59LbjFQ/s1600/IMG_6045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQ1m3W_fdLzRwauIe_O6HA9RTwlaWB3d3eRvdi4UPClr_FDcRyfNw_qkGGxjK182aiyItuqiy6ioA541wPDVjqsKd1zxoMO-5q-mXYm_ZimGIRYlJS4MQmCQA2DokFlD7F0l59LbjFQ/s640/IMG_6045.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cannons, large caliber, but not maintained</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
There's a dude pacing back and forth with an AR-15 rifle but he probably has not been issued bullets and has no communication device with which he can alert others. He has a menacing bayonet, but he doesn't look like the bayonetting type; he'd be deathly afraid of getting your blood on his trousers.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hsXu9YHVZRMaEIS-TPI_2JT90ZNDFjN72an84UNETiGP5pMATSp0pQ9jaqNG0yIjD8jFUwPktAeLA6PJgC-MrKUptEl44wdzeJ_hw5A2PT0XwvuOxhKQQfzaXw-rfENS-lCyHOKTdg/s1600/IMG_6041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hsXu9YHVZRMaEIS-TPI_2JT90ZNDFjN72an84UNETiGP5pMATSp0pQ9jaqNG0yIjD8jFUwPktAeLA6PJgC-MrKUptEl44wdzeJ_hw5A2PT0XwvuOxhKQQfzaXw-rfENS-lCyHOKTdg/s640/IMG_6041.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In any real army, standing at attention with feet at that angle would get you 100 pushups</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Overall, the palace is a soft target and it seems like an easy task to get to Charlene. If you elope with the queen, do you automatically become king, or do you have to dispatch Albert the Rotund? I don't think I could do that. His visage, on constant display everywhere, has grown on me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8O0khRe4vPL1sMfDziu5qUjYCBYEnCVIc3iscejGuem2EGcXeb35d9iN_tAYfv79xKVznbZcGDsZJs9DUEawtE5Bgu2_L0IVqeyzhi4821YTNkbVZH_r2ewEzabH7jL0OwNoF1A-S1A/s1600/IMG_5922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8O0khRe4vPL1sMfDziu5qUjYCBYEnCVIc3iscejGuem2EGcXeb35d9iN_tAYfv79xKVznbZcGDsZJs9DUEawtE5Bgu2_L0IVqeyzhi4821YTNkbVZH_r2ewEzabH7jL0OwNoF1A-S1A/s640/IMG_5922.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you cross check this display against pictures of the wedding, you'll <br />
notice that a tailor must have altered Prince Albert the Rotund's outfit <br />
to make his gut look smaller</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Here's a picture of Guizmo from the hilltop, occupying one of the best spots in the marina.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdi_-hjlzYneWshWK2IGWaAQjAX7yBXf2pwPPXwvjKI04U21F0pRWkO9iemoQ10QmH9wZhL2Lu3bBlY3KikIUzlReu8ZcVkLU-AYnKVqaLg2Yq7JUkSxIHCQLh9hHnSrZYzOd3XHSSQ/s1600/IMG_5860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdi_-hjlzYneWshWK2IGWaAQjAX7yBXf2pwPPXwvjKI04U21F0pRWkO9iemoQ10QmH9wZhL2Lu3bBlY3KikIUzlReu8ZcVkLU-AYnKVqaLg2Yq7JUkSxIHCQLh9hHnSrZYzOd3XHSSQ/s640/IMG_5860.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of these boats is not like the others</td></tr>
</tbody></table>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47174482199098827.post-6713339543425801272011-07-15T14:00:00.011+02:002011-07-21T20:01:07.628+02:00Museum of OceanographyMonaco's royal family doesn't all consist of boring and bland people (and I'm looking at you Prince Albert II. Actually, I was looking at Charlene, but that's because the whole place is covered with pics of the two of them, and I'd rather look at the prettier of the two). Prince Albert II the Rotund's great-great-grandfather, who lived in the late 1800's, took an interest in science, organized various expeditions around not only the Med but also up north to the pole, and is generally credited as being one of the early oceanographers. Many of his specimens have been collected in the Musee Oceanographique in Monaco, along with an aquarium.<br />
<br />
Specimen collection back in the 1800's was not a nuanced and humane operation. In fact, it seems indistinguishable from whaling and fishing.<br />
<div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSFVvgw47oVmeYFjmhf041NMOwY2jNaSopCZD_8s16YGOc500tTTyhFmXEDKDNZ-aXsI2NGANxapzBIhKO77qsfYF9Rd5ZL-a7pFg1x_CE0g3oCZ9SRyjv7Z3MXbHwBJ_2_hHC0pnzA/s1600/IMG_5896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSFVvgw47oVmeYFjmhf041NMOwY2jNaSopCZD_8s16YGOc500tTTyhFmXEDKDNZ-aXsI2NGANxapzBIhKO77qsfYF9Rd5ZL-a7pFg1x_CE0g3oCZ9SRyjv7Z3MXbHwBJ_2_hHC0pnzA/s400/IMG_5896.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American tourists are here. Man the harpoons!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWQpjOj3BAQLvBYfHaHfRKFxdCh23mYZPFF0DB6fZx6br6KwdgB2-bgN61tvZNOj5EEfIrtrgjmLarqnr6SgPe-XYMaNbzL1e76sWMmHVblbdoDq8hqFqSCo0NodUoMBoSCunN-Z7Dg/s1600/IMG_5903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWQpjOj3BAQLvBYfHaHfRKFxdCh23mYZPFF0DB6fZx6br6KwdgB2-bgN61tvZNOj5EEfIrtrgjmLarqnr6SgPe-XYMaNbzL1e76sWMmHVblbdoDq8hqFqSCo0NodUoMBoSCunN-Z7Dg/s640/IMG_5903.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ce n'est pas une pipe et, aussi, ce n'est pas une touriste americaine<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacwMb9t_fW-gf2Oo541XSjQCUNuLfQ43MhBeGzDB-dR_9L_DXnfOXf8fDXAUQEJ1uQ5bHQT3jmKolkygAikPlraWujnwbWRSjLQsDn7XD9-P7Xyh1NKHt8F2NV3ceapMlIHpCtkI4Pg/s1600/IMG_5909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacwMb9t_fW-gf2Oo541XSjQCUNuLfQ43MhBeGzDB-dR_9L_DXnfOXf8fDXAUQEJ1uQ5bHQT3jmKolkygAikPlraWujnwbWRSjLQsDn7XD9-P7Xyh1NKHt8F2NV3ceapMlIHpCtkI4Pg/s640/IMG_5909.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harpoons</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>They used all sorts of contraptions for marine surveys, a remarkable feat at the time, and even more so considering that Albert the Premiere could very well have chosen to sit back at his seaside palace instead of enduring hardship aboard an oceanographic vessel.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTAnuRW0HfDKShhpyOfpaj64v2R3L9_neW5pumq68G_RXW7svk8JB3SmM5L2feGjAMDHH9jmXe1JthNrJpi0Wd5gGlq4A1_fGkxfF7unRdVs6NwylGDlYThJ1NQ34gLB2uK6rKbrK_w/s1600/IMG_5897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTAnuRW0HfDKShhpyOfpaj64v2R3L9_neW5pumq68G_RXW7svk8JB3SmM5L2feGjAMDHH9jmXe1JthNrJpi0Wd5gGlq4A1_fGkxfF7unRdVs6NwylGDlYThJ1NQ34gLB2uK6rKbrK_w/s640/IMG_5897.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weird trap</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNdvzzghbsu0tDeVYYYPUG6r6hNqKQvkWH2okxkBINdR0wJGsRYUCPhyphenhyphenwnPAbWms4ohFsUUdPB-yTk205C-qgAKkGwFLWB7xqfoN01EUYlGr0-0BKZ3dP5BeZeD1-yYwhlD-wfmjUZg/s1600/IMG_5905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNdvzzghbsu0tDeVYYYPUG6r6hNqKQvkWH2okxkBINdR0wJGsRYUCPhyphenhyphenwnPAbWms4ohFsUUdPB-yTk205C-qgAKkGwFLWB7xqfoN01EUYlGr0-0BKZ3dP5BeZeD1-yYwhlD-wfmjUZg/s640/IMG_5905.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soundings in the pre-electronic age</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>There were some interesting diver suits. It must have taken a lot of courage to don these things.</div><br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguB4PO3AXIVxk2oG_tgH_UUkc5Jcr_VV858OvZKCjZxF4yDouwSH1_izDoX_gh9mtCTElv39WytPKrSAae2-a3F29Xn4uG1M1Qp2U_8WgN_UTTPIJ-PgWbNsmgbaVRDtImt4DkKNXWkQ/s1600/IMG_5924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguB4PO3AXIVxk2oG_tgH_UUkc5Jcr_VV858OvZKCjZxF4yDouwSH1_izDoX_gh9mtCTElv39WytPKrSAae2-a3F29Xn4uG1M1Qp2U_8WgN_UTTPIJ-PgWbNsmgbaVRDtImt4DkKNXWkQ/s400/IMG_5924.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An easy way to end up "sleeping with<br />
the fishes" as they say across the border</td></tr>
</tbody></table></td><td><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgeKfzrY143-yp3Q6-7_EjZYxm-dSRVD8GuBv2xLh9wVPRX21QcLiGzdoZpjfh4ezHYF28uPTQjQNch9_m90bXGtyFp1LT5d0ea4yRpmjoqLYXnE8ST2V2U_fPGmNi8EWD9WQg5rBKA/s1600/IMG_5923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgeKfzrY143-yp3Q6-7_EjZYxm-dSRVD8GuBv2xLh9wVPRX21QcLiGzdoZpjfh4ezHYF28uPTQjQNch9_m90bXGtyFp1LT5d0ea4yRpmjoqLYXnE8ST2V2U_fPGmNi8EWD9WQg5rBKA/s400/IMG_5923.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All he has, really, is an upside down jar<br />
with air in it, plus some lead</td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The aquarium was one of the better ones I've visited, well-worth the entry fee.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ba1dXwG59m3xdS82rpqmpquTJ6NUJjRm6F0ZE2JKxVQBlOWHfO8M59pH-DlUMldjP42Lr0JKEzJ4goFwbkoRGh5FMU0-1vyXHeQzt7HbOIGBRo46u42DHDQzaZXcmhkAw9xMWRwZXw/s1600/IMG_5950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ba1dXwG59m3xdS82rpqmpquTJ6NUJjRm6F0ZE2JKxVQBlOWHfO8M59pH-DlUMldjP42Lr0JKEzJ4goFwbkoRGh5FMU0-1vyXHeQzt7HbOIGBRo46u42DHDQzaZXcmhkAw9xMWRwZXw/s640/IMG_5950.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At my place of work, also, there is always someone doing the opposite of what everyone else is there to do</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYqhBFbXRuKQwfxWSF-Kl0x1haJo4LPF79Td6coA4QLkxSLUglREDC1QN7Zlle-dF4sye7TNg4GXZn4tagDVRE08u2eRbgM2c-xRLUt-Kw6cJJZvROjJ3nO4eqqRGYBQxwlDW9wIvJw/s1600/IMG_5956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYqhBFbXRuKQwfxWSF-Kl0x1haJo4LPF79Td6coA4QLkxSLUglREDC1QN7Zlle-dF4sye7TNg4GXZn4tagDVRE08u2eRbgM2c-xRLUt-Kw6cJJZvROjJ3nO4eqqRGYBQxwlDW9wIvJw/s640/IMG_5956.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're not as invisible as you think. And you're very tasty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQt7vq7HWKFkx4-Ew6Rhsywh3GWKpCnSax3JOTGYwQ6JTaKO_bPU2zIpIGAHDz_cob4JBE6pSFap-MbhMDXXSeg4XNahpYEXOPOxXtVcY2fGo6Xx3vOFpfssYcj-Ppy369CIOI8DQsHA/s1600/IMG_5962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQt7vq7HWKFkx4-Ew6Rhsywh3GWKpCnSax3JOTGYwQ6JTaKO_bPU2zIpIGAHDz_cob4JBE6pSFap-MbhMDXXSeg4XNahpYEXOPOxXtVcY2fGo6Xx3vOFpfssYcj-Ppy369CIOI8DQsHA/s640/IMG_5962.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying fish are apparently ugly little beasts</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTY2T8xb3wSts2Af2ROCNwmJC7qnO6F_ZLUO1rHePulFVU9FB67_4naMRXBWva7_ygDJXIUWA29F_Tq0qkyHgta6AktwfL2oqyrufhZvriY7Wd2iu1dbO_6CiII1BAT84mVjpt0rdlA/s1600/IMG_5973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTY2T8xb3wSts2Af2ROCNwmJC7qnO6F_ZLUO1rHePulFVU9FB67_4naMRXBWva7_ygDJXIUWA29F_Tq0qkyHgta6AktwfL2oqyrufhZvriY7Wd2iu1dbO_6CiII1BAT84mVjpt0rdlA/s640/IMG_5973.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I imagine these two moray eels having Statler and Waldorf-style discussions for life</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFZQAqlAPNk8soIdwIWvhM8t7BlQ1sdVzwgrwszILV4D6zdKuKCM-xyQkKmt5WXT8Kv5TCXOPZknMIQOHpVLR5YXTnmJN85PNbbjXqv2kN1oeOXn8FnQvJXSfFV4ov5kGKK2M_9hQQg/s1600/IMG_5989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFZQAqlAPNk8soIdwIWvhM8t7BlQ1sdVzwgrwszILV4D6zdKuKCM-xyQkKmt5WXT8Kv5TCXOPZknMIQOHpVLR5YXTnmJN85PNbbjXqv2kN1oeOXn8FnQvJXSfFV4ov5kGKK2M_9hQQg/s640/IMG_5989.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These guys have been fished from the way deep. They still have that culture shock look to them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHZ2aZmV4O2fZPLKbhKSdyljEDzQ7rMmz4zqN1QUFLkA0ApaWJhSiE3epip9hxgomncY5yApKjeek_8uBkezdqh0g0iT3kg7KWwHHT-4WBc9VWQwlRRAd2AwmJBGi1DmFySwbt5La9g/s1600/IMG_5998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHZ2aZmV4O2fZPLKbhKSdyljEDzQ7rMmz4zqN1QUFLkA0ApaWJhSiE3epip9hxgomncY5yApKjeek_8uBkezdqh0g0iT3kg7KWwHHT-4WBc9VWQwlRRAd2AwmJBGi1DmFySwbt5La9g/s640/IMG_5998.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think these are piranhas</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeRSonqaaw9IClb05Yj8ltpZBsrmjpRY-wyCBRfB7lhwLtRMvuzVOBa3NxzQNhgHIA5qPsNcXuUifz1qJYHyJ8GglKCNE4NcDM9lHvMbs_X6zsYZn0w2C2zJIh7Ax7FJzh7yGZu_bGA/s1600/IMG_6003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeRSonqaaw9IClb05Yj8ltpZBsrmjpRY-wyCBRfB7lhwLtRMvuzVOBa3NxzQNhgHIA5qPsNcXuUifz1qJYHyJ8GglKCNE4NcDM9lHvMbs_X6zsYZn0w2C2zJIh7Ax7FJzh7yGZu_bGA/s640/IMG_6003.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nemo, where are you?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6rcdkqaoRfVluB0OzV_1QQnBnTDJGYx61UqFYEnarPP8iJQxbXuvONiis_FDFyskDEZ7QgBN6nIkPhJjrBhTb6_dBT9wlJ1vS-Y4xzws6ZXMRYnkt6Y7beY0emd3Aq8p9NuoeAaIXw/s1600/IMG_6012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6rcdkqaoRfVluB0OzV_1QQnBnTDJGYx61UqFYEnarPP8iJQxbXuvONiis_FDFyskDEZ7QgBN6nIkPhJjrBhTb6_dBT9wlJ1vS-Y4xzws6ZXMRYnkt6Y7beY0emd3Aq8p9NuoeAaIXw/s640/IMG_6012.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pack of sea horses</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTAac6iDXw4fZ4LSGmXS2neZheYwqwIbwrENU_3zknJDQr0A_AE7Vup59TAZtkEt26CaN7RtL4Mdm3YylrnxvhVsZCo0f1pMp0ek2m1TdoYuok2yoZ8MukdFciPqcsFXJEHivEMro2A/s1600/IMG_6024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTAac6iDXw4fZ4LSGmXS2neZheYwqwIbwrENU_3zknJDQr0A_AE7Vup59TAZtkEt26CaN7RtL4Mdm3YylrnxvhVsZCo0f1pMp0ek2m1TdoYuok2yoZ8MukdFciPqcsFXJEHivEMro2A/s640/IMG_6024.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They all live around a yellow submarine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>egshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747303668141215436noreply@blogger.com0Monaco43.738417600000012 7.4246157999999743.724366100000012 7.4078682999999694 43.752469100000013 7.44136329999997